“. God: to Euthanasia assailed by speakers “WE NEED to respond to dying not with fear but with love.” By Martin Millerchip Contributing Writer That was the message delivered by Father John Horgan and others at a Feb, 2 public forum: an euthanasia and. physician-assisted suicide held at Lions Gate Hospital. Horgan, chaplain at St. Paul's Hospital, told a packed meeting of “close to 200 North Shore residents that people don’t have to believe in oppose euthanasia, but merely believe in humanity. He. acknowledged that pastoral entre for the dying is not necessarily religious care but a process of enabling the terminally’ ill to live well and realize their full potential .in their remaining time. .. However, his personal belief that ““all-life is accountable to a higher “being appeared to mirror much of the audience's sentiment... Jeo. There was total silence in the room as Jenny »Taylor,a person with cerebral palsy, searched for the words to express her fear of any movement in : Canada towards endorsing. “right-to-die" legisla- - tion similar to that of Oregon or the Netherlands. “Patients‘may not know they-are being eutha- nized and that scares me. Doctors need better eth- 4 cal training in the Netherlands,” Taylor said. © Others offered anecdctal stories and opinions : that major surgery is withheld from those over 70 n Holland and that the terminally ill. can be left. to'vatch pneumonia after a cold bath. “Dr. Werner Boldt, director of palliative care at Lions Gate: Hospital, : ‘said the intent. of, the Netherlands legislation was that assisted suicide ould be a Feportable death by the. medical Pro- fession. ::y: But Boldt said that only 10% of the deaths are reported and as many as 1,000 deaths a year are - - the result of decisions made by: people other than the patient. i ‘Newth Vancouver R Reform MP Ted White; told THE BOYFRIEND ofa a mur- dered: * North “Vancouver the meeting that there was no bill currently before artiament on cuthanasia and that in his opinion a private member's bill would be “highly unlike- ly ta. ever pass even if it gets to the House.” “Nevertheless. several peuple at the forum said they had expected a debate on the issue with both sides of the moral dilemma of assisted suicide . being presented. Advertising for the meeting said it was spon- sored by North Shore Citizens Concerned With Euthanasia. Moderator Ross Labrie, a UBC English pro- fessor, told the News the meeting had been put together by “an ad hoc group created to sponsor * forums of this kind.” | Organizer and former nurse Wendy Walji said f a group of about eight had decided that “there* was not enough information on assisted suicide out there.” But she agreed that if there “vat another pub: lic meeting it should encompass both sides of the issue. » White told the meeting that Reform party a street in the ‘Guildford area with its headlights out, according to the Wednesday, February 8, NEWS photo Cindy Goodman SPIRITUAL AS well as corporeal care for the dying was emphasized by many speakers at a recent ‘forum ¢ on euthanasia and assisted suicide held at Lions Gate Hospital. leader Preston Manning. acd been shocked last. year by the results of a free phone-in vote on the topic in the Calgary area. Following, a televised debate in which - Manning participated, viewers were able to phone one, of two. numbers to register support or opposition'to sonie form of assisted suicide. Sixty-per cent of the callers supported a move, to amend the Criminal Code of Canada to allow. for doctor-assisted suicide, a complete reversal of the result that Manning, a religious man, had expected. : Since then, three other. Reform Party MPs _ have conducted telephone polls in their ridings on cuthanasia with similar results. " “If the same pattern developed here in North Vancouver, 1 would be obliged to vote that way in the House of Commons.” said White. “You, will not change my vote by having meet- ings where you talk to one another. If you want to change’ the percentages you must conviece a much ‘greater proportion of this community to : believe i in what you believe in.” « Ceremonies: On living and dying QUOTES FROM the Feb, 2 forum on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide held’ at) Lions © Gate Hospital: “You matter because yeu are. You will matter to us always.” — Prayer adopted by pals liative. care. workers ata recent memorial service, “The day they legalize murdering these people (the terminally il) I'm. getting - out of this profession.” — Home support worker trained in long-term care, “So why. don’t patients commit suicide? In 15 years I can only recall four or five and of those that do the vast majority have previous psy- chiatric history.” “They say on many days ‘IT wish I could die’ and the next day we have a party on the ward und they are in top “shape.” “For every activist who says we. must change Parliament there are .100 . patients whe wouldn’t con- . sider the option. * — Dr’ Werner: ‘Boldt, Director’ of Palliative: Care, | Lions Gate Hospital. “I tend to believe i in indi- vidual choice.” . « “Society has to- be. very cautious how it proceeds | | with issues like this.” : —_— Jeremy Dalton, West, Vancouver-Capilano. Liberal : MLA. ; ; WHAT COSTS approximate- ly $600,000, lasts 74 hours, involves over 3,000° North ‘Shore residents and begins in 379 days? By Andrew McCredie News Reporter If you answered the 1996 B.C. Winter Games, move to the head of the class. Or, better yet, add your . support to the sport-filled weekend _by getting involved in putting on the Games. The :North Vancouver Winter Games’ Society, the organizing force behind the event, is currently taking applications for ,volunteers to fill :14 directorships. A director ‘is needed to organize and oversee Surrey RCMP in a Feb, 20, 1994, News report. Surrey RCMP said Graham’s woman appeared in. Surrey: «provincial. court.on.Jan. 31 - and pleaded guilty to a charge Porsche ‘contained “a bullet-proof -Of; possessing a restricted vest,’ a bamboo ‘baton, a police : weapon. moo - baton and two knives. A ; Graham is a former Vancouver City Police officer. He quit the police department in 1990. In addition to receiving proba- tion, Graham was prohibited from possessing weapons, ammunition or explosives for two years. Graham had been dating North Vancouver's Lynn Duggan before she went missing around, June 16, 1993. Duggan, 34, was: ‘presumied _ Murdered in her apartment at 705- 1415 St. Georges Ave. Her skull was found one year. later near the Seymour Demonstration Forest: No charges have been laid in » Communications; * Cultural and Special Services; ‘* Food Services; ; . * Friends of the Games; ° Medical; ¢ Promotions: ¢ Protocol: . + Registration and Results: ¢ Security: « Sport; ¢ Transportation. : By ‘Anna Marie D ‘Angelo: News Reporter" “. Brock Joseph Graham, 35, had .. been scheduled for trial on Feb. 2 “in connection’ with the weapon ‘charge, The charged stemmed ‘from a Feb. 16, 1994 incident in Surrey in - which a Surrey RCMP officer saw : what turned out to be a loaded .22- : calibre, revolver sitting .. on ’“Graham’s front passenger seat. Graham was pulled over at 3 .m. after a suspicious vehicle had |, “We're looking for younger people to get involved,” . suid Society president Gerry Brewer, adding that the: program for each director is well laid out. “We'd like to find people who have some experience in organizing people.” If you're interested in applying . for a directorship position call’. Linda at the North Vancouver. NEWS photo Mike Waketletd “been reported driving up and down connection with Duggan’s murder... 14 areas: « Acconiumodation; . Administration; operations in each of the following | District office (985-7761). ‘Calls for. general. volunteers will begin in August. NORTH VANCOUVER } Winter~ Games’ president.’ Gerry « Brewer, needs volunteers. .