Catholic World News reported yesterday that former Kevorkian associate Georges Reding failed to show up at his arraignment on murder charges in the assisted suicide of a 54-year-old woman. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Kingsway Hospital in Derby England is being investigated on charges of euthanasia after the suspicious deaths of over 30 elderly patients. Deliberate dehydration and starvation are the suspected causes of death in this case made more controversial by the fact that the British Medical Association is seeking rights to withhold food and water without recourse to the courts. (The Sunday Times)
Confirming the longstanding assertions of the pro-life movement that often assisted suicide seekers are actually in need of better pain management, the Oregon medical board disciplined a doctor last week for under-treating the pain of his patients. Dr. Mark Bilder gave only Tylenol to a man suffering pain associated with terminal cancer. (Catholic World News)
To confront the growing threat of euthanasia and the aging demographics, the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum and the Bioethics Institute of the Sacred Heart University have organized an international congress in Rome, September 5-17, on the theme, “The Sunset of Life.” Experts on aging as well as anti-euthanasia spokesmen will participate. (Catholic World News)