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Slip Slidin’ Away

July 31, 2015 • Posted in Blog

D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A.

I doubt that Paul Simon had Physician-Assisted Suicide (P-AS) in mind when he penned the words to “Slip Slidin’ Away,” but they seem strangely apropos. The terms in the debate are the first to slip, slide away: the Hemlock Society became Compassion and Choices. The latter, which is involved in the Tennessee debate, is hopeful that physician-assisted suicide will become “aid-in-dying”; that is, before it slips into voluntary euthanasia, and then slides away into involuntary euthanasia.

What would happen if physician-assisted suicide (P-AS) were legal?

The role of physicians would be drastically altered. Guaranteeing ...read more

Severing Our Roots

June 29, 2015 • Posted in Blog

The Little Fool by Karen Swenholt. Image by Ian Riley Photography.

D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A.

A couple of years ago, I was encouraged to meet a figurative artist (sculptress, in this case). So I drove many hours to meet Karen Swenholt, and the drive was worth it. One of her pieces is pictured above. It is a metaphor that resonates with many of us: the man feels rooted, bound to the earth, or his circumstances, etc., and yearns to be free. So he takes an instrument into his hand — a knife — to free himself from his hateful condition, not ...read more

Physician-Assisted Suicide: NOT Exactly What Its Proponents Advertise It To Be

May 30, 2015 • Posted in Blog

This Australian stamp was issued in celebration of the General Assembly of World Medical Associations almost 50 years ago. At that time, the hypodermic syringe was a symbol of cure. Now, the picture of gloved hands administering an injection can represent something much more menacing.

D. Joy Riley, M.D., M.A.

The topic of physician-assisted suicide (P-AS) is a persistent one, especially when people are in pain or are worried about impending death. We need to think deeply and well about this issue. To help, the Tennessee Center for Bioethics & Culture is addressing P-AS from a different perspective for the second time in as many ...read more

UK locked-in patient may set dangerous euthanasia precedent — MercatorNet

March 13, 2012 • Posted in Atlas

By Peter Saunders

13 March 2012

http://www.mercatornet.com/careful/view/10440

Transplantation of lungs: recovered from donors after euthanasia — openPR

September 2, 2011 • Posted in Atlas

http://www.openpr.com/news/178737/Transplantation-of-lungs-recovered-from-donors-after-euthanasia.html

Canadian boy moved to US over end-of-life dispute –stltoday.com

March 15, 2011 • Posted in Atlas

http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/article_d3a8ce5e-42e9-5f83-9c23-2b7eabb27e5b.html

Oregon: Death with Dignity Act Annual Reports

February 14, 2011 • Posted in Atlas

http://oregon.gov/DHS/ph/pas/ar-index.shtml

Margo MacDonald’s End of Life Assistance Bill rejected — BBC News Scotland

December 3, 2010 • Posted in Atlas

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11876821

A dying man explains why euthanasia is so dangerous — heraldsun.com.au

November 23, 2010 • Posted in Atlas

http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewbolt/index.php/heraldsun/comments/a_dying_man_explains_why_ethanasia_is_so_dangerous

Alzheimer’s Disease

April 26, 2010 • Posted in End of Life

http://news-releases.uiowa.edu/2010/april/041210memoryloss-emotion.html