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Email: "Samuel Golubchuk to Remain On Life Support While Trial Date Is Set"

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BY LifeSiteNews.com By Thaddeus M. BaklinskiWINNIPEG, Manitoba, March 18, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Samuel Golubchuk’s children are continuing the fight to keep their father alive against the efforts of hospital doctors who are determined to starve and dehydrate him to death, regardless of the family’s wishes. In February, Justice Perry Schulman of the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench granted a temporary injunction allowing Mr. Golubchuk to remain on life support until a trial could rule on the issue. The judge, in granting the injunction, said that there were sufficient grounds to doubt the hospital’s analysis of the patient’s condition.On Friday March 14th, lawyers for the Golubchuk family and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority were in court to try to establish a trial date.Neil Kravetsky, lawyer for the Golubchuk family, said the case will not be heard until the end of the year at the earliest."We still haven’t set a definitive date but it’s looking like December," Mr. Kravetsky said in a Winnipeg Sun report.Percy Golubchuk and Miriam Geller, 84-year-old Samuel’s children, said they were relieved and happy knowing their father will remain on life support until the trial, which may not take place for another nine months.Samuel’s children are undeterred by the Manitoba College of Physicians’ "Statement on Withholding and Withdrawing Life-Sustaining Treatment," which arrogated to its doctors the final say in matters of life and death, even when the family opposes the decision of the physician. The family have begun a vigorous campaign to disseminate information about their father’s situation and ask for public support in their battle to stop the hospital from removing him from life sustaining nutrition and hydration.In an email sent to LifeSiteNews, Miriam Geller said, "Sam isn’t on any medication and he is in no pain. He’s just old and weak."Miriam explained that in November of last year "the hospital, without our permission, attempted to withdraw his basic care, letting our father die. We obtained an emergency Court Order to stop them from doing so, which they tried - and failed - to have reversed. Now the government is forcing us to return to Court again as it fights, at taxpayers’ expense, to have the Order overturned."That’s right," Miriam continued, "the government is fighting for the right to kill our father. If it succeeds, it will have established the right to kill anyone it deems unworthy of living.""Let me stress that Sam is not in a ‘vegetative’ state, nor is he suffering from a terminal illness of any kind. The government wants to end his life because he’s old, he’s weak and he’s disabled and it doesn’t want to spend money on his care - and it’s using taxpayers’ money to fund its legal crusade!" she declared.To donate to the Samuel Golubchuk family, readers may visit the Save Samuel Golubchuk website:http://www.samuelgolubchuk.com/donate.htmTo sign an online petition to save the life of Samuel Golubchuk:http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-sam-golubchuk/sign.htmlTo express your concern to the hospital in which Mr. Golubchuk staying:  The Salvation Army Grace Hospital  Ms. Gwen Greig  300 Booth Dr.   Winnipeg MB R3J 3M7  email: pr@ggh.mb.ca  Fax: 204-837-0545Read previous LifeSiteNews.com coverage:  Golubchuk Injunction Upheld - Winnipeg Hospital Ordered to Keep Patient on Life Supporthttp://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/feb/08021314.htmlAction Call to Save Samuel Golubchukhttp://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/feb/08021108.htmlRight to Decide When to End Treatment is Doctor’s, not Family’s: Physician’s Guidelineshttp://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08013106.html http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/samuel-golubchuk-to-remain-on-life-support-while-trial-date-is-set/

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