I continue to battle for my life in court against the defendents' latest underhanded tactics. My situation is back into court battling the defendants for their ongoing deception, coercion and obstructionism, while they still are withholding the services I need to live.
I was deeply saddened and heartbroken to hear the news of Sean Tagert's death last month. My deepest condolences go to Sean's family.
Sean just wanted to live at home to be with his son for the rest of the time he had left, but was 4-hours short of the home care time he needed. The BC Regional Health Authority denied him that 4-hours, and threatened to put Sean into a substandard facility located many hours away from his son. This facility would have also separated Sean from the assistive equipment he needed to live, which was already set up in his home. In the end, Sean was forced by the BC Regional Health Authority to die early by receiving MAiD.
I had been following Sean's story for a while via CTV News. I hoped Vancouver Coastal Health would provide Sean with the time he needed to stay at home and live. Unfortunately, the Vancouver Coastal Health did not, and instead coerced Sean into MAiD. You may read about Sean at this CTV News article 'We need a public outcry': B.C. father with ALS ends life after struggle to stay at home.
On July 3rd 2019 the United Kingdom (UK) Parliament used my case to raise awareness regarding the dangers of sliding Assisted Dying laws leading to abuse of vulnerable persons and wrongful deaths;
"Cases like Roger Foley from Ontario who suffers from a neurological disease. He secretly taped hospital staff offering him a 'medically assisted death', despite his repeated requests to live at home. The safest law is the one we currently have, which gives a blanket prohibition on assisted suicide and euthanasia. This deters exploitation and abuse through the penalties that it holds in reserve, but at the same time gives some discretion to prosecutors and judges to temper justice with mercy in hard cases. It does not need changing." per page 16 of the UK Parliament debate pack July 3rd 2019
UK MP Fiona Bruce stated within that debate;
"Let me turn then to the case of Canada, whose law in this area was also cited by the Hon. Gentleman as an example we should follow. Just a few days ago, a clinical director from Canada came to this place and made a presentation. I was privileged enough to chair the meeting; it was called ‘Assisted dying in Canada? A cautionary tale.' To clarify, at about the same time as this House rejected assisted suicide here, in Canada there was a court case that decriminalized assisted suicide on the basis that it should be up to capable adults who clearly consent to the termination of life and are suffering intolerably from a grievous and irredeemable medical condition.
What the clinical director told us was startling. She told us of grave problems now being encountered in that country in connection with the practice of assisted suicide. She told us that in fact medical assistance in dying, or MAID as it is called there, involves in 99% of cases euthanasia, not assisted suicide. She told us of funding allocated to palliative care previously now being diverted for these purposes; of assessments being done on a very rudimentary basis, including even by telephone; of safeguards such as the 10-day reflection period being regularly shortened; and of MAID being used for non-terminal illnesses, even in a case of arthritis. There are now even proposals for it to be extended to so-called mature minors.
The suggested need for two clinicians to give consent is apparently being effectively flouted. All anyone has to do if they cannot find one of the clinicians from the first two approached to give consent is approach another and another until one who will give consent is obtained. Conscientious objection by practitioners is not statutorily provided for, so practitioners are feeling increasingly obligated to undertake this. In Canada the safeguards simply are not working, and I was interested to hear Baroness Meacher, the chair of Dignity in Dying, stand up at the end of that meeting and say, 'We don’t want that in this country'." per the UK Parliament Hansard July 4th 2019
On August 21st 2019 the New Zealand (NZ) Parliament brought my case into their Euthanasia Bill debate to support keeping protections of vulnerable persons in place by not legalizing Assisted Dying. MP Melissa Lee stated;
"I know earlier, David Seymour had said—I think in Part 1, he actually said—that there was never any proof of coercion in the history of euthanasia. Can I actually quote, what about the disabled Canadian Roger Foley, who was offered medically-assisted death in place of assisted home care, that he is now taking the Government of Canada to court. There was coercion. There is proof of coercion that is going through the courts, and David Seymour knows this very well. For him to prove, to say that there's never been any coercion in the history of euthanasia—he is absolutely not telling the whole truth." per the NZ Parliament Hansard August 21st 2019
I urge the public to please do what they can to support my important ongoing legal case through my GOFUNDME page before it is too late to protect my life and the lives of others; Before it is too late to correct the serious wrongs that are occurring. I plead to the public to correct this before their life is extinguished and they are denied appropriate care and services to live. My GOFUNDME page is at www.gofundme.com/assistedlife |
