The statements, opinions, or views in the articles may not necessarily reflect that of the Goan Voice Canada.

Dangers in proposed Canadian legislation that would legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia
http://www.catholicregister.org/content/view/3316/852/
Written by Catholic Register Staff | Thursday, 06 August 2009

With a contentious debate looming on the parliamentary horizon, Archbishop James Weisgerber is urging his fellow bishops to awaken Canadian Catholics to the dangers in proposed legislation that would legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia.

The wakeup call was issued by the president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in a letter addressed to bishops but with words intended for us all.

“Euthanasia and assisted suicide are the antithesis to what should be at the heart of human civilization — trust, respect, concern and solidarity, based on reverence for all human life.”

A vote could come this fall on a private member’s bill by Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde to have Canada join a handful of European nations and some U.S. states in legalizing assisted suicide and euthanasia. This is the third time Lalonde has tabled her bill. Although she failed in the past and the bill may die again if a fall election is called, the issue is of such fundamental importance that we ignore it at our peril.

The bill piggybacks on a fashionable, secular movement that has hijacked a noble word, dignity, and incorporated it into a slogan, “death with dignity,” and then elevated it to pre-eminence above a cherished human value, sanctity of life.

All human life has dignity. That dignity is not lessened by old age, illness, suffering, disability or death itself. Euthanizing someone suffering from extreme physical pain or emotional distress does not restore dignity. There is no dignity in assisting a suicide. Killing is not dignified ever. Dignity resides with those who, in the face of unimaginable circumstances, confront their hardship with courage and faith. Dignity comes from accepting life, not rejecting it. Dignity radiates not only from those called to suffer but from those who comfort the suffering and provide the compassion and respect that is every person’s right for all their natural life.

Weisgerber reminds us of the words of Pope Benedict XVI: “A society unable to accept its suffering members and incapable of helping to share their suffering and bear it inwardly through compassion is a cruel and inhuman society.”

Proponents of euthanasia and assisted suicide argue that they are on the side of compassion and individual freedom. But the opposite is true. A society that stops believing that every life has value and every person deserves respect and care, hastens the erosion of compassion and freedom.

In The Netherlands, where euthanasia was legalized in 2002, there have been several reports of people being euthanized without consent. Once a society awards itself the right to kill one person it becomes easier to kill two or three or . . .

Lalonde’s bill is vaguely worded and would create abundant potential for abuse. But that’s not why it should be scrapped. The very notion of legalizing any form of euthanasia and assisted suicide is regressive and diminishes us all.

Goan Overseas Association in London
Posting on www.goanet.org | Gabe Menezes | Sun Aug 2009

The founders of the G.O.A. U.K., in 1965, who have passed away, must be turning in their graves. It was not what they envisaged, I was there at the inception as a teenager.

In the beginning the Association grew from strength to strength and grew larger and more dynamic, especially later, when many Goans who were expelled from Uganda, in the 70's set up home in the London area. The enthusiasm was infectious and rival factions came together to moot the idea of buying a club house with grounds.

This was realised in the early 80's with the purchase of a Clubhouse and grounds in Beckenham, Kent. a sum in the region of £50-55k was raised through the issuance of Debentures. Many Goans also gave willingly and had their names inscribed on a 'Roll of Honour' Board. The property was purchased for a sum of £120,000.

It was difficult and expensive to run the Club but it continued and survived until the late 90's. When revenue could not meet the outgoings, Members were forced to accept defeat and indeed the present President came in on a ticket, on the condition that the property would be sold off. The Gods that be, deemed otherwise and the Club House was burnt down in an arson attack. The insurance money received together with the sale of the grounds provided a healthy boost to the balance sheet.

What then, has gone wrong? The Membership has declined and is static at present; this is mainly because there are around 600 Life members, of the remaining 100 or so ordinary members, many joined for economic reasons. For instance there are members in the Hockey squad who joined because they receive a subsidy from the Association. Likewise the Annual Golf tournament, which when it first took place encouraged many to become Members as it was cheaper to enter the tournament being a Member because of the subsidy given.

The benefits being enjoyed it seems are not by the founding fathers or their progeny. Cornel DaCosta's article of some years ago on 'The terminal decline of the G.O.A' and similar Institutions World Wide must be a chilling prophecy coming true.

We are rather fortunate here in London that the various Goan Villages continue with their traditional Feast days but that too it seems, is closely coming to an end. Some of the biggest Village organizations of yester year just cannot pull in the crowds today. It seems to me that within another two generations, most of the original bulk of Goans in the U.K. who were former East African immigrants, will have their children melt away into the larger population.

I would be very surprised indeed if my own, should they get married, choose a Goan partner! The hope lies in the new Goan immigrant straight off the plane, courtesy of their Portuguese Passport. These Goans mainly reside within the Swindon area, in fact at the recently concluded G.O.A. annual open day, there were many who came from Swindon.

-- DEV BOREM KORUM.
Gabe Menezes - London.