Earlier this month, this blog shared the news of the emergence of a “new” pro-euthanasia group in Canada and its “awareness” campaign via faux “memorial plaques” (stickers, in reality) on park benches in Toronto. At the time, the person or persons behind the group was a mystery.
Not any longer. According to the Toronto Star, it’s the pet project of a couple of advertising professionals:
The stickers are forthright in their message, dreamed up by art director Andy McKay and Manson, his creative partner at Toronto’s Cundari Group. They have both been affected by “bad deaths” among their friends and family.
The fact that this is a project of advertising pros explains a lot. People who make a living manipulating public attitudes (to increase sales, enhance public image, etc.) tend to concentrate on the ability of the message to affect behavior. Accuracy is a lower-level concern, and mostly one in terms of avoiding liability and litigation.
Alex Schadenberg, of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, has a lot to say about the latest press coverage and the individuals behind this “awareness” campaign:
This new euthanasia campaign is: (1) being operated by two advertising specialists misleading the public concerning our actual law. (2) They are creating an emotional response to a very serious issue by using fictional stories.
The Dignity in Death website misrepresents what the euthanasia and assisted suicide laws state in Canada. The website falsely states that voluntary euthanasia is already legal in Canada. This is not true. What they appear to mean is that refusing life-sustaining medical treatment is euthanasia. But this is not euthanasia.
Alex has more on the article and the authors of this campaign and I urge people to read the rest of his post.
Thaddeus Pope also wrote a short post about the campaign on his Medical Futility Blog. In his post, he shares links to the Toronto Star article and the Dignity in Death website.
Pope tends to take a different view on assisted suicide and euthanasia than NDY does. However, he does tend to have a passion for accuracy. Evidently that passion didn’t extend to the misinformation on the Dignity in Death website – which he describes as having “some ACP tools and information.” (ACP = advance care planning) –Stephen Drake
Truth in advertising: How about you tell your readers about how you peed on Alex in the conference at Landesdowne, VA, last spring, and that you’re using his good graces as long as it suits you and NDY, and that other than that, his work is expendable?
Please deny it and allow me to provide documentation.
Stephen, bet you won’t publish my comment.
It’s also important to note that when NDY had the opportunity to file an amicus brief with other disability organizations, and I offered to work with NDY through my Institute for the Study of Disability & Bioethics, I was graciously turned down because I did not meet the spiritual litmus test of NDY.
Again, Stephen, publish this.
Dear Virginia Beach (Mark Mostert, H.E.D., M.Ed., Ph.D.),
The only comments I deleted were the duplicates you sent. The account of what went on at the conference last year is here to see on the blog:
http://notdeadyetnewscommentary.blogspot.com/2009/06/is-coalition-possible-jury-is-still-out.html
I feel it might have been kinder had I deleted your posts.
Readers of these might not be real eager to work with you either.