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Affirm Dignity | End Euthanasia

Who has dignity? What does it mean for us to affirm the inherent dignity of every person? What does 'dying with dignity' really mean?

Learn more about the growing community of people who seek to Affirm Dignity

We believe that all people have inherent dignity, no matter their age or health condition. A fair and just society cares for its most vulnerable. Once we open the door to intentional killing, there is no logical stopping point. This is not just a hypothesis. In countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands, euthanasia cases have increased a hundredfold since legalization.

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Affirm Dignity | End Euthanasia

Charter

The right to life is a fundamental and inherent human right, recognized by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and guaranteed by all human rights treaties. People at all stages of life and in all regions of the world are increasingly vulnerable to assaults on this foundational right. Without respect for human life, there can be no respect for human dignity. The most vulnerable deserve our compassionate love and support. There is nothing progressive about a society that refuses to care for them.

Therefore, we:

affirm that the right to life cannot include a right to die;

deplore the promotion of practices like euthanasia or assisted suicide;

consider every suicide a tragedy, and we recall the international obligation on States to take measures to prevent suicide;

denounce the slippery slope of legalized euthanasia which results in pressure on the vulnerable to die;

condemn the application of euthanasia to children, vulnerable adults, and those who have not given their consent;

believe society owes those suffering better options than euthanasia, such as palliative care;

affirm that palliative care is prevention and relief of suffering, which does not hasten nor postpone death (as defined by the World Health Organization);

call for the prohibition of euthanasia and assisted suicide and further investment in compassionate alternatives which Affirm Dignity.

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The Legalization of Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

International law robustly protects the right to life—particularly for the most vulnerable. The threat posed by a number of legislative proposals is highlighted through the example of those countries which have already legalized euthanasia or assisted suicide. This paper investigates the developments in Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands and shows that in countries which have already gone down this road, the number of people euthanized, and the number of qualifying conditions increase with no logical stopping point.

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How can patients trust their doctor to provide the best treatment when euthanasia is considered a ‘valid’ option?
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Over the last 20 years, the number of assisted deaths in Oregon grew by 1,000%. Wherever euthanasia has been legalized it has spiraled out of control.
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Doctors oppose euthanasia because it undermines the trust in doctor-patient relationships.
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Allowing doctors to prescribe deadly drugs to hasten a person’s death is a violation of the dignity of the human person.
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The European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly ruled that there is no ‘right to die’.
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In 2017, 19% of euthanasia performed in Belgium were on patients experiencing symptoms common with aging.
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Every 3 hours 24 minutes, a person is euthanized in Canada.
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Every 4 hours, a person is euthanized in Belgium.
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Every 80 minutes, a person is euthanized in the Netherlands.
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In Belgium, the youngest child euthanised was 9 years old.
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Euthanasia is not medical care.
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There is no lower age limit for euthanasia in Belgium.
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In Oregon, loneliness is recorded as a leading factor for choosing euthanasia. We should care for our most vulnerable.
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In Switzerland, a woman paid €10,000 to die because she no longer felt pretty. #AffirmDignity
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In Belgium, the youngest child euthanised was 9 years old. The law allows for even younger children than that.
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Palliative care improves the quality of life of patients and provides relief from pain and suffering.
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75% of people who died by assisted suicide in Oregon agreed that their pain was under control.
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Euthanasia intentionally terminates life. Palliative care improves the quality of life.
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The weak, the suffering, the sick, the elderly need our compassionate love and support.
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The claims of a very small and determined minority who wish to die remove the freedom of vulnerable people who wish to live.
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In Belgium, the ratio of euthanasia administered to non-terminal patients has more than doubled.
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There is nothing progressive about a society that refuses to care for its most vulnerable members.
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We should give people a reason to live instead of treating them like a burden on society. We should #AffirmDignity
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Washington and Oregon studies show most patients choose assisted suicide because they fear loss of control over their own lives.
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We go to great lengths to discourage suicide. How then can we pass a law that encourages suicide at the hands of a doctor?
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How do we distinguish between the person we talk down from the bridge, and the person we gets a lethal injection from their doctor?
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In the Netherlands, there were 2,220 reported suicides and 6,091 cases of euthanasia in 2016. How can a society prevent suicide when they allow euthanasia?
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In Belgium, 69% of euthanasia cases were carried out less than a month after the request. More time is allowed to return a purchase to a store than to reconsider death.
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Belgium has legalized euthanasia for the sick and now allow the intentional killing of children. Where is the stopping point?
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The sad reality is that the legalization of euthanasia creates its own demand.
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Voluntary euthanasia inevitably leads to involuntary euthanasia. A “right to die” quickly turns into a duty to die.
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In Belgium in 2016 there were 2,384 suicides and 2,028 people died by euthanasia. How can a caring society prevent suicide yet allow euthanasia?
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We urge the Belgian government to reconsider their decision to allow euthanasia of children. #AffirmDignity
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The number of people being euthanised and the conditions that “qualify” for euthanasia have increased every single year in every country that has legalized euthanasia.
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As a society we go to great lengths to prevent people from committing suicide and yet we pass laws encouraging assisted suicide. Where does it end?
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To suggest to someone that they should kill themselves is abuse.

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