Angelina Ireland in The Story of Euthanasia. The Delta Hospice Society president is promoting the anti-euthanasia film, which is available through screenings and on Rumble. (Rumble screen image)
The president of the Delta Hospice Society, which lost its facility for refusing to provide medical assistance in dying on site, says she’s taking an anti-euthanasia film on the road.
Angelina Ireland, president of Delta Hospice Society, is one of the interview subjects in The Story of Euthanasia. Vancouver family physician Dr. Will Johnston and Abbot Tryphon of All-Merciful Saviour Orthodox Monastery in Washington State give commentary in the 43-minute production by Trinitas film.
The film is freely available on Rumble where a synopsis describes euthanasia law as “complex and controversial.”
“The film combines Western and Eastern points of view, gathering medical professionals and religious leaders to explain philosophical belief, moral conflict and social impact concerning legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide,” the synopsis explains.
In the film, Johnston says it’s a “lie” that palliative care somehow is not good enough to help patients who are near the end of their lives, therefore making medical assistance in dying (MAiD) necessary.
Vancouver family physician Dr. Will Johnston and Abbot Tryphon of All-Merciful Saviour Orthodox Monastery in Washington State are featured in The Story of Euthanasia.
“I tend not to use the word MAiD because it’s a euphemism,” he said.
“It’s a way of papering over of what is really an evil thing that is going on which is infecting our society with a kind of a mind virus, a kind of a virus that stops people from thinking clearly about the problem that is being managed.”
In an email to Western Standard, Ireland said, “I am making plans for a cross-country screening tour. We are looking for interested groups to host a screening of the film and then I will give a presentation afterward entitled ”Protecting Each Other from MAiD.”
Interested church or community groups interested in setting up a screening of the documentary can contact Ireland at 1-800-232-1589.
Ireland will be promoting other Delta Hospice Society projects during her tour. The society’s “Guardian Angels Initiative” aims to help ill and vulnerable Canadians have a personal advocate on their side to ensure the health system doesn’t steer them towards euthanasia.
“As part of the tour, I will also be program planting. I am going into communities and recruiting volunteers to become Guardian Angels, Volunteer Health Advocates, to help watch over the vulnerable in their own towns and cities,” Ireland explained.
“There has never been a more desperate time in Canada to protect our people.”
Ireland complained that “Team MAiD” is greatly funded and has the favour of the courts, the government, the media and national lobby groups.
“‘Team Life’ gets their assets expropriated or are bullied into submission so there is no effective opposition against state execution. We have no other hope but to rely on the goodness and love of Canadians to protect their fellow citizens.”
While euthanasia advocates are calling for the facilitation of patients to offer advance directives for euthanasia, Ireland will promote a Do Not Euthanize advance directive (DNE) on the tour, providing copies for free.
“They need two witnesses (not family). Therefore, people don’t need a lawyer or notary public to sign it,” she said. “Send the Delta Hospice Society a copy of the DNE, or advise us that one has been signed and is being kept among the person’s personal and important papers.”
DHS will log the DNE into a national registry and send a card to the applicant, complete with a QR code people can scan to see their registration.
“We will send back to the person a customized, laminated, wallet-sized DNE card with their name on it, complete with their National Registry number,” Ireland said.
“DHS has put our telephone number on the card. If any medical professional might come across the card and the patient is unable to communicate, they can call us and we will explain to them that a DNE has been signed. We will also advise them that the patient requires healthcare and not MAiD. We will further warn them not to attempt to end the person’s life prematurely.”
The original, one-hour version of the film includes 20 minutes of interviews in Chinese with Taiwanese doctors and religious leaders. That country is debating whether to provide medical assistance in dying. The number of Canadians who died by lethal injection since 2016 is 44,958.
