Please Join Disability Advocates This September in Chicago to Protest Global Euthanasia Movement

The conference of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies is scheduled for September 17-21, 2014 in Chicago, IL.

June 3, 2014; as published by theadvocacymonitor

The World Federation of Right to Die Societies is a coalition of 53 organizations around the world that are working to legalize and expand laws for assisted suicide and active euthanasia. They want people to be eligible who are “suffering unbearably from incurable illnesses,” which clearly includes people with disabilities whose conditions are not “terminal.” Their member groups have been advocates for the some of the more notorious developments in Belgium, including the euthanasia of two deaf men and extending euthanasia to children.

• See the World Federation Manifesto

The World Federation conference was last in the U.S. in 2000 in Boston, where Not Dead Yet led two days of protests. Since then, Final Exit Network has emerged in the U.S. and will be hosting the World Federation gathering in Chicago.

FEN has “exit guides” who are involved with people who die by breathing helium inside an “exit bag” placed over their head. In a PBS Frontline documentary, FEN’s Ted Goodwin stated that he would hold down a person’s arms after the “exit bag” is on their head so the person won’t remove the bag (See Transcript).

The disability community can’t be silent when this group gathers to promote their policy agenda. We need to be heard, we need to push back. This conference is our best chance to make a difference.

Please share this message with your leadership and your advocates, especially those in the Midwest, and those anywhere who might like to travel to Chicago in September. Interested persons: please email Diane Coleman, President / CEO of Not Dead Yet at dcoleman@notdeadyet.org.

# If contacting Diane Coleman, please let her know you saw the information at Ability Chicago. If you want to join Ability Chicago in supporting Not Dead Yet in there efforts in Sept, send me a e-mail jimwatkins@ability chicago.info 
We do support our colleagues at Not Dead Yet.
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If you want to join Ability Chicago supporting the efforts of 'Not Dead Yet' this Sept, send a email to jimwatkins@abilitychicago.info