A powerful new DVD, Turning the Tide, is helping to change the way society perceives the issues of euthanasia and assisted suicide. Turning the Tide shifts the focus of the debate away from the autonomy argument, using a personal story style to focus on the vulnerability of the person when one experiences disability, depression or symptoms related to degenerative and/or end of life conditions, and also focuses on issues related to pain and symptom management and proper end-of-life care.
Quoting Catherine Frazee, disability studies professor at Ryerson University, in the DVD: 'People like to frame this debate in the language of autonomy, or individual choice. They'll say to me that it's all right, you can say no, but other people will want to say yes, but I don't think individual autonomy should ever be permitted to trump the safety and well-being of the community'.
Although written for North Americans and Canadians, Turning the Tide is very relevant to the UK and European market - the issues at stake, after all, are the same.
Turning the Tide features: Bobby Schindler (Terri Schiavo's brother), Wesley Smith (Attorney, International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide), Catherine Frazee (former chair of the Ontario Human Rights Committee), Adrian Dieleman (counselor, rehabilitation clinic for spinal cord injuries), Jean Echlin (palliative care nursing consultant), Senator Sharon Carstairs (Canadian Senator), Alex Schadenberg (executive director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition) and Reg Hancock (spinal cord injury survivor) and more.
The Turning the Tide DVD package includes a DVD, discussion guide and all the resources necessary for making a presentation on euthanasia and assisted suicide. It can be ordered from the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition: Box 25033, London ON, N6C 6A8, email: info@epcc.ca, or calling: 1-877-439-3348.