CCBI News – Abortion; Euthanasia; Aging in Japan; Inuit Eldercare

May 6, 2022

Dear Friends of CCBI,

Abortion

Abortion is back in the news in a legally and politically dramatic way. The leaked news that Roe v Wade might be overturned has raised hopes on the side of those who are prolife and has provoked ire among those who claim abortion is a legal right. If Roe v Wade is found unconstitutional, it will be up to individual states to legislate this matter. We know that some states will all but ban the procedure while others will continue to allow it. A more in-depth discussion of the implications in the US can be found in the article below from the National Catholic Register.

There is considerable political movement in the US, much of it favourable towards protection of the unborn. The prolife movement in Canada seems more hemmed in, more moribund, mainly because of our political parties’ liberal views and policies. Liberal, that is, where those who support these views are concerned. Prolife attempts are so often shut down and have little space on our national agenda. Moribund, but not dead yet! Perhaps we can take heart from the American example: it shows that no secular law is ‘cast in stone.’ Change in these areas, seemingly remote, is always possible. Reaching back into CCBI’s articles, I refer you to one written in 2013: Gradual Shifts in Abortion Laws: Will they be effective?” I was hopeful then and am hopeful now for the long haul, recognizing that changes to abortion and euthanasia laws may take decades, perhaps centuries. Who knows?

We do, however, know that laws do and, in many cases, must change, as Canada confronts the reality of long-term atrocities such as abuse, racism and discrimination. Injustice has to be recognized before it can be remedied, and our country is now dealing with the implications of systemic attitudes to some sectors of society and their aftermath in human lives. Today’s Globe and Mail carries two articles that indicate at least two results of those attitudes: one shows that fifty percent of incarcerated women are indigenous yet represent only five percent of the female population. The other draws attention to forced or coerced sterilizations, one woman reporting an involuntary procedure in 2001 – hardly the Dark Ages – and complaints are being lodged in a legal challenge by other indigenous women, whose ‘choice’ to maintain their fertility was violated. It is incredible that such disregard and devaluing of human fertility, together with disregard for some women’s values, still exist in our purportedly liberal, pluralistic country. 

We must continue to register our belief in fertility and life as God-given gifts, hopeful that when human actions compromise those gifts, those same actions will eventually be seen as abhorrent, and moves will be made to counter their injustice. History tells us that. The current American Supreme Court move (assuming it happens) is a beginning. In any event, the fact that five out of nine Supreme Court Justices are Prolife is a major statement in itself! I have concerns about the political ‘shenanigans’ that surround their appointment, but I often wonder about the Canadian system. It can’t be said that our Supreme Court claims any prolife appointees, resulting, for me at any rate, in concerns about our justice system, too.

Euthanasia

Earlier this week we sent out an Update on current moves to expand Canada’s euthanasia procedures, referencing the fact that MAiD already allows for euthanasia for some categories of mental illness that come into effect in February 2023. The Committee had been reviewing this extension last year with regard to safeguards, not the permissibility of the procedure itself. One of the topics now under discussion is the possibility of euthanizing children, which is morally abhorrent. Not only that, but this and euthanasia in some situations of mental illness also raise questions about the meaning of legal consent, which to my mind is greatly undermined in the interests of pursuing such a liberal agenda. I mentioned in the Update that people may still lodge their objections with the Parliamentary Committee reviewing these possibilities on their website, but only until MAY 9:  Submit a Brief (parl.gc.ca). Please act now! Your statement does not have to be incredibly learned. Simply tell the committee from the heart that you believe in dying naturally; that the proposed procedures compromise human dignity as well as legal principles of consent; that you value life to the end; that end of life has meaning; that pain control is available; that the elderly and vulnerable are at risk; that the elderly and /or those with disabilities or mental health issues should be helped to live rather than be helped to die…and so on. At least in sending such a statement you are letting Parliament know that many people believe that compassion and human dignity mean helping people to die well, not helping people to die. A vast difference!

Legal Experts Weigh In on Leak of Supreme Court Draft Opinion Overruling Roe v. Wade| National Catholic Register (ncregister.com)
Microsoft Word – Bioethics MattersVol11-5 Shifts in Abortion Laws_MMcQueen_Final (ccbi-utoronto.ca)
Sabrina Maddeaux: Euthanizing the mentally ill without providing proper supports is reprehensible | National Post
Euthanasia / Physician Assisted Death UPDATE | Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute – 
Ottawa criticized for failing to address ‘obscenely disproportionate’ incarceration of Indigenous women – The Globe and Mail
Ottawa criticized for ‘rehashed responses’ on overrepresentation of Indigenous women in federal prisons – The Globe and Mail
‘I felt pressured to say yes’: Indigenous women tell Senate committee they were coerced into sterilizations after giving birth – The Globe and Mail

Editor’s Note:
Compare the differences in the care of seniors in Japan and Canada in the following articles.

Aging in Japan
Dr Rory Fisher

Japan has over 25% of its population aged over 65 years. The Japanese also have a high life expectancy. In 2019, the life expectancy for women was 87.45 years and 81.41 years for men. Japan now has more than 86,000 centenarians, of which 88% are women. Some of these centenarians are incredible athletes, setting world records in their age ranges. In addition, there is a shrinking birth rate and a low rate of immigration. Industry has responded to these changes by investing in artificial intelligence and robots.

In 2000 Japan introduced Long-term Care insurance, one of the most comprehensive social care systems in the world, aimed at maintaining senior citizens’ independence and keeping them in the community. It is paid for by mandatory premiums for all citizens over 40, with copayments from users. The program is user oriented. The senior may choose the services and providers they want. They are helped in this by a local case manager, who advises as to how their needs may be best met by the available community services. There is an adult guardianship program for those no longer able to make their own decisions.

The country is a leader in having a healthier more engaged and productive aging population. Seniors are respected members of society and there is a national seniors’ day. Seventy percent of those between 60 and 69, and 50 percent over 70 are working, volunteering, or engaged in community activities. Seventy percent of companies have extended retirement ages. The Silver Human Resource Centre provides part time and temporary work for local senior citizens. The pay is not high, but the main objective is to keep the seniors involved and active in the community. Senior citizens clubs are readily available to keep seniors involved in the community. The Japanese Post Group offer a nationwide “watch over service” where post office staff monitor seniors on a monthly basis and report back to families.

Supports for both nurses and seniors are considered very important, particularly since there is a shortage of nurses. Cyberdyne Japan has developed HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb). When a person tries to move, the brain sends a command to the muscle, which generates very faint bioelectrical signals which are picked up by skin sensors and transferred to the exoskeleton. This assists with ambulation. The HAL lumbar type for labour support decreases the risk of back pain for caregivers. Panasonic has developed a bed that converts into a wheelchair. SoftBank Robotics have Pepper, a four-foot-tall humanoid robot that can lead exercise classes in nursing homes, as well as running quizzes, and conducting singalongs. PARO is a baby furry seal robot that responds to touch, sound and light. It is very helpful in calming seniors with dementia. It was designed by Japan’s Intelligence Systems Research. Continence is always an issue in nursing homes, and the Japanese company, Triple W has developed Dfree a wearable device with a sensor over the lower abdomen that measures the urine in the bladder and sends message to an app on a phone or tablet which informs the wearer when the bladder needs to be emptied.

The Japanese Government wished to share its experience with the provision of care for the elderly and developed the Asia Health and Wellbeing Initiative (AHWIN) in 2016. This promotes bilateral and regional cooperation in improving health care for the elderly in Asia. Their website www.ahwin.org provides examples of innovative community projects, use of technology, and research in various Asian countries

Much can be learned from the Japanese model to help all western societies as they face their own rapidly aging societies.

Challenges in Inuit Eldercare
Bridget Campion, PhD

According to a Canadian Press Report picked up by APTN News, Elders in Nunavut are facing a crisis in care. Because it does not currently have the necessary resources, the Government of Nunavut is sending Elders who require complex care to a long-term care facility in Ottawa. There, according to the Pairijait Tigumivik Society, they face challenges common in many such facilities, including being confined to beds for “days at a time.” They are infantilized, being called “’ataata,’ meaning father, or ‘anaana,’ meaning mother, instead of their names” and are given “childlike projects like sewing paper hearts” when many are “expert seamstresses.”

But Inuit residents of the facility face more specific difficulties. There is a lack of traditional food and poor access to Inuktitut media. There is also a lack of Inuktitut interpreters in the facility itself and “Inuit at the care home are not given an Inuktitut-speaking interpreter when they are sent by ambulance to hospital.” As well, there is no acknowledgement of the position that Elders have in Inuit tradition. Iqaluit lawyer Anne Crawford says that “’In Inuit culture, Inuit are the knowledge keepers, the people who pass knowledge to the next generation’” and that the long-term care facility “’is not an appropriate place for Inuit elders…’”

The Society wants the Nunavut Government to bring the Elders home. This can be done, the Society says, by reviewing and renovating existing buildings to provide long-term residential eldercare and by hiring staff to provide more robust home care. Ultimately the health of Inuit communities depends on caring for the health and wellbeing of Inuit Elders. According to Rachel Qitsualik, the President of the Pairijait Tigumivik Society, “elders are integral to Inuit communities and, without them, important knowledge, language and cultural practices aren’t passed on to the next generation.” Without the Elders, she says, “’the whole system falls apart.’”

Sources
APTN News (The Canadian Press) “’The whole system falls apart’: Nunavut group concerned about Ottawa care home.” March 15, 2022 https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/the-whole-system-falls-apart-nunavut-group-concerned-about-ottawa-care-home/

Pope Francis’ Intention for May
For Faith-filled Young People

We pray for all young people, called to live life to the fullest; may they see in Mary’s life the way to listen, the depth of discernment, the courage that faith generates, and the dedication to service.

Moira, Bambi, Bridget, and Rory