The Reason that Miss Marprelate was AWOL..

She was at The Manning Centre for Building Democracy's Wilberforce Weekend Ottawa, an anti-euthanasia conference which she had the privilege of event blogging.

The euthanasia topic is coming to the front in Canada because of Bill C-384 which is seeking to legalize it.

One of the most important points this conference stressed was how uninformed and misinformed people are about this life-and-death issue. It is extremely important that everyone get clear and accurate information about it so they understand what euthanasia is (and is not), that almost no one needs to suffer unbearable pain, how euthanasia opens vulnerable people to abuse and coercion, etc.

70% of people in Canada support euthanasia, almost certainly many support it because they don't understand what the word means and they are beset by fears. Fear of being alone, fear of pain, fear of dying, fear of abuse, fear of losing control, fears of every type. Most, if not all, of these issues can be solved without killing the patient and that is what we need to focus on.

I must say I was very impressed with the quality of the conference, it was just brilliantly put together. You came away from it feeling like you knew a great deal more about what it takes to launch a successful campaign or coalition, on any issue, than when you came in.

They also weren't joking about attracting key stakeholders, the people who came to this conference were mostly professionals or key activists.

Event Blog Sections:

Introductions and Welcome

Overview

Amazing Grace

Sub-Committees

Principles of Effective Participation in Advocacy Campaigns

Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia Debate Canada

Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia Debate Quebec

Advocacy Campaign Strategy

Advocacy Campaign Planning Meeting