Seminar Against Euthanasia Follows Defeating Assisted Suicide in Canada
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 20, 2010
Seattle, WA (LifeNews.com) — On the heels of defeating a bill that would have legalized assisted suicide in Canada, an anti-euthanasia group is organizing a national conference to coordinate strategy to respond to additional attempts to promote the practice. The Euthanasia Prevention Coalition will host the event next month in Seattle.
The bill to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada was overwhelmingly defeated by a vote of 228 to 59 last month.
Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition tells LifeNews.com that was an "unprecedented victory."
"The massive victory was accomplished by the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition quarter-backing a focused campaign that involved groups and individuals from many different organizations," he said. "In other words the incredible victory was achieved by maintaining a strict focus and working in coalition with many different groups who shared one goal, opposing the legalization of assisted suicide."
Now that the battle to soundly defeat Bill C-384 has come to an end, Schadenberg is ready to move ahead to the next fight.
"Similar strategies need to be employed in every jurisdiction in the United States and around the world," to ward off euthanasia and assisted suicide, he said.
"It is maybe necessary to express our opposition to legalizing assisted suicide in different ways, but what remains the same is the need for a focused leadership that is willing to work with groups from every political and social constituency," he said.
The June 5th Push Back Seminar in Seattle will help pro-life advocates, Catholics, disability rights advocates, medical groups and others who oppose assisted suicide to develop new coalitions that can work with a focused strategy and purpose.
Experts will provide information and give attendees the opportunity to work through the ideas that enabled the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition and its coalition partners to convince politicians from across the political and social spectrum to oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide.
"We also need to recognize that the euthanasia lobby does not provide equal opportunity. We cannot allow them to control the language and the direction of the issue," the activist told LifeNews.com. "A prime example is how the film about the I-1000 Initiative in Washington State went from being a documentary of a campaign to a propaganda film that demonized our leaders. We must turn the tide now."
Schadenberg hopes having the event in the state that became the second to legalize assisted suicide will yield learning opportunities.
"Seattle is also located near Montana, a state that is also in need of forming a strong and effective coalition. We also predict that California will once again face a new challenge by the euthanasia lobby and Oregon is constantly under social attack," he said of two other states that allow assisted suicide and a third that has repeatedly considered it.
Related web sites:
Euthanasia Prevention Coalition – https://www.euthanasiaprevention.on.ca
Sign Up for Free Pro-Life News From LifeNews.com
Daily Pro-Life News Report Twice-Weekly Pro-Life
News Report Receive a free daily email report from LifeNews.com with the latest pro-life news stories on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here. Receive a free twice-weekly email report with the latest pro-life news headlines on abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. Sign up here.
