World Federation of Right to Die Societies

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The World Federation of Right to Die Societies is an international federation of associations that promote access to voluntary euthanasia. It holds regular international meetings on dying and death.

Contents

The World Federation, founded in 1980, consists of 45 right to die organizations from 25 countries. The Federation provides an international link for organizations working to secure or protect the rights of individuals to self-determination at the end of their lives.

World Right to Die Day

World Right to Die Day is celebrated November 2 [1] in countries such as France, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, and Venezuela. The celebration was founded in France at the World Federation Conference in 2008 and has since spread. The participating countries vary in their customs of celebration. This day also falls within the celebration of Dia De Los Muertos in Mexico and is represented in the bigger cities as part of their celebration.

Controversy

Cases of people choosing assisted suicide programs have been met with some controversy in the media and public. One famous case is that of Brittany Maynard. She was diagnosed with a terminal brain cancer and chose to end her life, but before doing so, she chose to speak out about her situation and her choice, thus opening up the debate about the right-to-die movement in America. [2]

Controversy also lies in issues regarding whether or not the right to die should be granted to those who are in a minimally conscious state (MCS). [3] MCS refers to people who have suffered neurological damage and will never fully recover, but still have some awareness.

Groups such as Not Dead Yet fight against the movement to legalize and promote the right to die. They worry that if euthanasia is legalized, seniors and people with disabilities will be pressured against their will into accepting it. [4]

Additionally, controversy has also surfaced amongst right-to-die societies themselves. For example, the well-known organization in the worldwide movement Exit International [5] publisher of the Peaceful Pill Handbook, was granted admission to the World Federation by 2018 but not without some opposition. Within just a few years it had decided not to renew its membership. Tensions appear to lie between societies that advance all options to a reliable, peaceful and painless death such as Exit International, Final Exit Network in the US, and Right to Die Society Canada for example, and most other member societies that only advocate for a medical model regulated by legislation with restrictive eligibility criteria. In keeping with the declared human right that all should have access to assisted dying, the former argue for greater inclusiveness of all persons seeking this remedy even if not gravely ill, while also noting the limitations and exclusions under limited medical assistance (MAID) or physician-assisted dying (PAD) in all jurisdictions where it has evolved. Persons preferring not to involve doctors and other professionals in this personal, final act should similarly not be denied knowledge and support without threats of criminal prosecution. [6] [7] [8]

Member Organizations

Africa

Asia

Europe

North America

Oceania

South America

See also

Related Research Articles

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Assisted suicide describes the process by which a person, with the help of others, takes drugs to end their life. It has been referred to as physician-assisted suicide (PAS), assisted suicide, assisted dying or medical aid in dying.

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Voluntary euthanasia is the purposeful ending of another person's life at their request, in order to relieve them of suffering. Voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) have been the focus of intense debate in the 21st century, surrounding the idea of a right to die. Some forms of voluntary euthanasia are legal in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Spain.

The Hemlock Society was an American right-to-die and assisted suicide advocacy organization which existed from 1980 to 2003, which took its name from the hemlock plant Conium maculatum, a highly poisonous herb in the carrot family, as a direct reference to the method by which the Athenian philosopher Socrates took his life in 399 BC, as described in Plato's Phaedo.

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Euthanasia became legal in New Zealand when the End of Life Choice Act 2019 took full effect on 7 November 2021. It is illegal to "aid and abet suicide" under Section 179 of the New Zealand Crimes Act 1961. The clauses of this act make it an offence to "incite, procure or counsel" and "aid and abet" someone else to commit suicide, regardless of whether a suicide attempt is made or not. Section 179 covers both coercion to undertake assisted suicide and true suicide, such as that caused by bullying. This will not change under the End of Life Choices Act 2019, which has provisions on coercion of terminally ill people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assisted suicide in Australia</span> Legal history of euthanasia in Australia

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Jean-Luc Romero is a French politician, writer and NGO leader.

My Death, My Decision (MDMD) is an organisation that campaigns for the legalisation of assisted dying in England and Wales. The group was founded in 2009, in order to campaign for a change in the law and advocate on behalf of adults of sound mind, who are either terminally ill or incurably suffering.

YourLastRight.com Limited is an Australian national non-profit organisation which lobbies for law reform to permit voluntary euthanasia in restricted circumstances. In August 2012 the West Australian Voluntary euthanasia Society withdrew from the body claiming funding mismanagement and concern over attempts by YourLastRight CEO Neal Francis to initiate defamation proceedings against Exit International and Dr Philip Nitschke for questioning how YourlastRight was spending the Clem Jones bequest funding.

Jean-René Saulière was a French anarcho-pacifist, individualist anarchist and freethought writer and militant who went under the pseudonym André Arru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exit (right-to-die organisation)</span> Right-to-die organisation based in Scotland

Exit is a not-for-profit, pro-euthanasia organisation based in Scotland that lobbies for and provides information about voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide. It has particularly focused on research and publication of works which provide information about suicide methods, including How to Die With Dignity, the first book published on the subject.

The Voluntary Euthanasia Party (VEP) was a minor political party in Australia, founded in early 2013 by Corey McCann to advocate for legislative change to allow voluntary euthanasia in Australia. The party's inception was strongly supported by Dr Philip Nitschke, director of Exit International and Richard Mills, then President of Dying with Dignity NSW.

References

  1. ↑ "2 November World Right to Die Day". Archived from the original on 2016-11-09.
  2. ↑ Stockenström, T. (22 December 2014). "Is Dying a Pro-Choice Issue?". TheHumanist.com.
  3. ↑ Johnson, L. S. M. (1 March 2011). "The right to die in the minimally conscious state". Journal of Medical Ethics. 37 (3): 175–178. doi:10.1136/jme.2010.038877. JSTOR   23034669. PMID   21084355. S2CID   9594783.
  4. ↑ "Disability Groups Opposed to Assisted Suicide Laws". Not Dead Yet. 2013-11-08. Retrieved 2018-12-12.
  5. ↑ "Exit International - Exit International provide Information and guidance on assisted suicide and end of life matters - Dr Philip Nitschke". Exit International. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  6. ↑ Engelhart, K. The Inevitable: Dispatches on The Right to Die, 2021. St. Martin's Press, New York, N.Y.
  7. ↑ Dankwort, J. Collabartion and research imperatives for a growing right-to-die movement. Canadian Journal of Public Health https://doi.org/10.17269/s41997-023-00755-8 March 2023
  8. ↑ Gandsman, A. (2018b). “Old Age Is Cruel”: The Right to Die as an Ethics for Living. Australian Journal of Anthropology, 29, 209–221
  9. ↑ "AQDMD | Accueil". AQDMD (in French). Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  10. ↑ "Dying With Dignity Canada | It's your life. It's your choice". Dying With Dignity Canada. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  11. ↑ "Farewell Foundation for the Right to Die | IVSI" . Retrieved 2024-11-25.
  12. ↑ "Right to Die Society of Canada". www.righttodie.ca. Retrieved 2024-11-25.
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