Tag: euthanasia

The Looming Shadow of the “Useless Class”

Harari’s Warning: A New “Useless Class” Emerges

In influential circles tied to global institutions, a chilling phrase has entered the conversation: the rise of a “useless class.” Historian and World Economic Forum advisor Yuval Noah Harari has repeatedly warned that rapid advances in artificial intelligence and automation will render vast numbers of people economically irrelevant. In his book Homo Deus and various public statements, Harari describes this emerging group not merely as unemployed but as unemployable, stripped of meaningful contributions to the economic and political systems that define modern power.

Superfluous People: What Happens When AI Replaces Humanity

He has pointed out that in the 21st century, the central economic question may become what to do with “superfluous people” once algorithms outperform humans in most tasks. This is not abstract futurism. It reflects observable trends: AI already displaces roles in manufacturing, transportation, customer service, coding, analysis, and creative fields. Entire professions face obsolescence. When millions cannot secure stable employment, societies risk labelling them burdens rather than citizens with inherent worth.

Echoes of “Useless Eaters”: From Nazi Eugenics to Modern Efficiency

This language echoes darker historical precedents. The term “useless eaters” originated in early 20th-century eugenics and Nazi propaganda, where authorities deemed the disabled, elderly, or unproductive as drains on resources unworthy of life. Those regimes justified sterilization, euthanasia, and gruesome experiments on living humans deemed irrelevant, using economic and efficiency as grounds. While today’s discussions avoid explicit calls for elimination, the underlying logic of sorting human value by productivity should alarm anyone who values individual dignity.

Schwab’s Fourth Industrial Revolution: Mass Redundancy Ahead

Harari’s warnings align with broader elite conversations about technological disruption. Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, has addressed the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its potential to create redundancy for many workers. The concern is real: without robust adaptation, large segments of the population could become dependent on state or corporate systems, vulnerable to control.

Georgia Guidestones: The Elite Blueprint for Drastic Population Cuts

This feeds into visions of a restructured world. The Georgia Guidestones, a controversial monument erected in 1980 in Georgia and later destroyed, laid out ten guiding principles for humanity. Its first commandment declared: “Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.” That explicit target of drastic population reduction (over 90%) has fueled suspicions about long-term agendas among some influential figures who see overpopulation as a crisis. It underscores a mindset that prioritizes global limits over unfettered human flourishing.

15-Minute Cities and Depopulation: Easier Rule Over Fewer Subjects

Critics argue that depopulation pressures, whether through policy, technology, or subtle incentives, serve a strategic purpose. A smaller global population would make centralized rule far simpler for oligarchs and technocrats. Concepts like 15-minute cities, promoted as sustainable urban planning where residents access work, food, healthcare, and leisure within a short walk or bike ride, illustrate the point. Proponents highlight reduced emissions and convenience. Yet skeptics see them as prototypes for contained zones: easier to monitor, restrict movement within or between, and enforce compliance through digital systems and surveillance. In a depopulated world with AI handling production, the need for expansive human labor and freedom of movement diminishes. Elites could manage compact, dependent populations more effectively, where dissent or excess can be easily isolated.

AI Job Apocalypse: Creating the Perfect Storm of Control

The fusion of AI-driven job loss and these control-oriented frameworks paints a grim picture. Displaced workers, stripped of purpose and economic agency, risk being recast as “useless” burdens in the eyes of systems optimized for efficiency. Harari himself has noted the profound inequality this could create, with a small elite of data owners and tech masters holding unprecedented power over the masses.

Euthanasia Explosion: From Terminally Ill to Depressed, Mentally Ill, and Children

Compounding these concerns is the rapid expansion of euthanasia laws across several nations. What began as a limited option for the terminally ill has broadened dramatically to encompass the depressed, mentally ill, and even children. In Canada, Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) has surged since its introduction in 2016. By 2024, there were 16,499 reported MAiD provisions, accounting for over 5 percent of all deaths in the country, with cumulative totals nearing 76,000. Cases increasingly include individuals with non-terminal conditions, disabilities, and vulnerabilities tied to poverty or isolation. In the Netherlands, total euthanasia deaths reached 9,958 in 2024, a 10 percent rise from the prior year. Psychiatric cases alone jumped to 219 from 138 in 2023, with a sharp increase among younger people under 30. Belgium and other jurisdictions show similar patterns of extending to minors. This normalization risks categorizing those with chronic illness, depression, or mental health challenges as burdens on the system. It reinforces the “useless eaters” logic by offering death as a solution to suffering that could instead prompt investment in care, community support, and human dignity. Such policies align conveniently with broader depopulation narratives, reducing pressure on resources while framing elimination as compassion.

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Child under age of 12 euthanised in the Netherlands for the first time after law change

A seriously ill child under the age of 12 has been euthanised in the Netherlands for the first time after a law change two years ago.

In a letter to parliament, Dutch health minister Sophie Hermans said that the child had died last year but did not clarify their age, date of death or the illness that they suffered, according to broadcaster NOS.

The law in the Netherlands was changed in 2024 to extend euthanasia to children under the age of 12 to allow them to “die with dignity” if there was no route to escape extremely severe pain or suffering.

Previously the procedure had only been permissible for newborns and children aged over 12. Patients under the age of 18 require the consent of a parent or guardian.

Under euthanasia laws, a person must be in a state of intolerable suffering with no realistic hope of relief and it should only be applied in exceptional and extreme circumstances.

In order to undergo the procedure, a doctor must persuade the authorities that euthanasia is appropriate and that there is no humane alternative. The threshold is extremely high when applying the legislation to young children.

Hermans said that the review committee has examined the case and spoken to the doctor involved, according to NOS.

The committee’s judgment has been forwarded to the Public Prosecution Service (OM) who must ultimately determine whether the doctor acted in accordance with the law. The recommendation of the review committee will be made public shortly, she explained.

When the rule was changed it was expected only to apply to around five children every year.

“Euthanasia is only allowed for patients whose unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement has a medical dimension,” government guidance says.

“Termination of life is only allowed if a child is terminally ill and is suffering unbearably with no prospect of improvement.

“This means the child is in constant, severe pain. And that there is no cure, and no reasonable alternative to relieve the child’s suffering, even through palliative care.

“In this situation, the doctor may decide, together with the parents, to terminate the child’s life. This decision is always made in consultation with the parents and, if possible, also with the child.”

In the UK, a bill to allow adults in England and Wales with fewer than six months to live to apply for an assisted death – subject to the approval of two doctors and an expert panel – will return to the House of Commons this September.

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Netherlands Euthanizes Child Under 12 for First Time After Law Expansion Allowing it for Children as Young as ONE YEAR OLD

A terminally ill child under the age of 12 was euthanized in the Netherlands last year, marking the first known case since the country expanded its euthanasia laws in 2024 to include children aged one to 12 who are terminally ill with no prospect of improvement.

Dutch Health Minister Sophie Hermans disclosed the case in a June letter to parliament alongside the annual report from the committee reviewing late-term abortions and medically assisted deaths of children.

Prosecutors are now reviewing whether the doctor followed all legal requirements.

The government has not released the child’s exact age, gender, or specific medical condition, citing privacy.

The euthanasia was said to have been carried out because the child faced “unbearable suffering with no prospect of improvement” that had a clear medical dimension.

Dutch rules allow euthanasia in such cases for diseases like cancer, as well as certain psychiatric disorders or complex conditions.

It remains prohibited for people who simply feel that their lives are “finished” or “completed” without a medical basis.

For children under 12, parental or guardian consent is required. The government has stated that in these cases, ending the child’s life is considered “the only reasonable alternative to the child’s unbearable and hopeless suffering.”

The Netherlands became the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide in 2002.

Doctors who fail to follow the rules can face up to 12 years in prison.

Children aged one to 12 were previously barred from assisted suicide.

Dutch officials estimated the change would apply to approximately five to 10 children per year.

In 2025, the Netherlands recorded 10,341 deaths by assisted suicide, a 3.8% increase from the previous year.

Since the mid-2000s, the Netherlands has allowed euthanasia for severely disabled or terminally ill infants under one year old when suffering is deemed “unbearable and untreatable.”

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Canadian Lyme sufferers pushed to state euthanasia while the US steps up

Lyme disease is surging across southeastern Ontario as black-legged ticks invade backyards, trails, and parks, driving a sharp rise in infections that health officials can no longer ignore.

Caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, Lyme disease often strikes with deceptive early symptoms or no symptoms at all. This includes fatigue, fever, and the telltale bullseye rash, which sometimes doesn’t come until weeks or months later.

Lyme is a stealthy, corkscrew-shaped spiral bacterium that drills deep into tissues, joints, and the nervous system, making it incredibly difficult to detect and hard to eradicate.

Missed early treatment can lead to chronic, debilitating pain, inflammation, and long-term illness. This can be amplified by a lack of initial symptoms or pesky co-infections, including Babesia, Bartonella, Anaplasma, and Ehrlichia.

Due to a high variability of symptoms, there aren’t necessarily textbook presentations, which can complicate diagnoses and treatment leading to more severe or atypical manifestations.

In the United States, they’re confronting this epidemic head-on.

HHS Secretary Kennedy announced concrete action to tackle Lyme, including a major multi-million-dollar tick control pilot, up to $2.5 million in Lyme innovation challenges, improved diagnostics, and a goal to reduce cases by 25% by 2035 relative to 2022 levels.

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Doctor who approved assisted suicide for man in Tim Hortons’ parking lot gets 6 months’ probation

A Canadian doctor has been given only a minor reprimand after assessing a man for euthanasia outside of a Tim Hortons and then driving the man to the place where his state-sanctioned death with fatal injections took place.

Ontario doctor James MacLean was given six months’ probation by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) for two infractions related to assisted suicide or so-called “MAiD” (Medical Assistance in Dying), as it’s known. MacLean had to appear before the committee to get a verbal “caution” of his conduct.

In one case, MacLean did not give the drug that paralyzes a person’s body muscles during an assisted suicide procedure. The person started to breathe after the doctor left the person’s residence, despite MacLean declaring the person dead.

The other case involved a man, Thomas Dillon, outside Tim Hortons. Dillon suffered from Crohn’s disease, and his death was flagged by the Ontario coroner’s “MAiD” death review, according to reports.

The CPSO said that a nurse practitioner first assessed the man after he asked for assisted suicide and was then seen by MacLean outside of a Tim Hortons parking lot. Dillon was approved for assisted suicide under Track 2, or when a death is not reasonably foreseeable but the person suffers from an allegedly “grievous and irremediable” medical condition.

The CPSO found that MacLean’s coffee shop meeting with this man was “concerning” and that “sensitive MAiD-related matters” should have been discussed in a professional setting instead.

“Based on the Respondent’s own account, other locations were not meaningfully explored at the time,” noted the panel.

“In the Committee’s view, this reflected a lack of the level of formality and care expected when assessing requests for MAiD.”

Additionally, the CPSO was concerned with the “quantity and nature” of the text messages between MacLean and Dillon, which showed remarks about the man’s family not approving of assisted suicide.

Both complaints were made against MacLean in 2024, with the CPSO concluding that MacLean “did not meet the standard of practice of the profession” and that he “displayed a lack of judgment.”

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Ontario man dies of MAID after being assessed outside Tim Hortons

A London, Ont., doctor who assessed a patient with inflammatory bowel disease and a history of mental health issues for MAID outside a Tim Hortons location and later personally drove the man to the place his life was ended has agreed to a minimum six months’ supervision.

In another case, Dr. James MacLean failed to administer one of three drugs used in assisted deaths — one that paralyzes the body’s muscles, including the muscles involved in breathing. The patient resumed spontaneously breathing again after initially being pronounced dead, and after MacLean had already left the home.

As first reported Monday by the The Globe and Mail, the doctor’s case is raising new concerns about MAID’s oversight and accountability.

“What is striking is not only the seriousness of the concerns identified in these cases, but the limited regulatory response,” said Dr. Ramona Coelho, a family physician and former member of the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario’s MAID death review committee.

As part of an investigation by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) into two public complaints made against MacLean, an independent assessor appointed to review a number of MacLean’s charts concluded that he “did not meet the standard of practice of the profession, displayed a lack of judgment and that his conduct exposes or is likely to expose patients to harm or injury in five out of twenty charts reviewed,” according to a summary decision of the college’s inquiries, complaints and reports committee.

MacLean was called before the committee to be verbally “cautioned” with respect to the MAID complaints.

In addition to agreeing to mandatory clinical supervision for at least six months as part of an “undertaking” with the college, MacLean will undergo ongoing review of his MAID patient charts and mandatory professional education related to MAID, consent, documentation, professional boundaries and professional behaviour.

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Michigan Democrats Introduce Bills to Legalize Assisted Suicide

A group of Michigan House Democrats has introduced a package of four bills aimed at legalizing physician-assisted suicide, rebranded as “medical aid in dying,” for terminally ill adults in the state.

The legislation would create a new “Death with Dignity Act” and establish a regulated process allowing certain patients to request and receive life-ending medication from a doctor.

The bills were referred to the House Committee on Government Operations, where they currently sit with no hearing scheduled yet.

Given the Republican majority in the Michigan House, the measures face long odds of advancing, but their introduction alone has reignited the long-running debate over assisted suicide in a state with a notorious history on the issue.

House Bill 5825 would allow “mentally competent” Michigan residents who are 18 years or older, diagnosed with a terminal illness expected to result in death within six months, and acting voluntarily to request a prescription for lethal medication from a licensed physician.

The bill requires two oral requests at least 15 days apart, one written request witnessed by two people, one of whom cannot be a relative or someone who stands to benefit financially, and confirmation of the diagnosis and mental capacity by two physicians.

The act states that death under the law “does not constitute suicide” for purposes of insurance or other legal matters.

The three companion bills provide additional legal protections and framework:

  • HB 5826 prohibits state licensing boards from imposing sanctions on health care professionals who participate in good faith under the Death with Dignity Act.
  • HB 5827 establishes sentencing guidelines for any crimes related to violations of the new act.
  • HB 5828 prevents health insurers from invoking suicide-exclusion clauses in life insurance policies when a death occurs under the provisions of the act.

All four bills were introduced by Democratic representatives and are tie-barred, meaning none can take effect unless the full package passes.

Lead sponsor Rep. Kimberly Edwards described the legislation as compassionate.

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Canadian Priest Says Hospital Asked Him To Consider Assisted Suicide Twice After Broken Hip

A Catholic priest said that while seeking treatment for a hip injury at a Canadian hospital, medical workers twice offered him the option of assisted suicide, despite knowing that he was religiously and morally opposed to the practice.

Fr. Larry Holland, 79, fractured his hip after falling in his bathroom on Christmas Day 2025 and subsequently went to Vancouver General Hospital to seek treatment for his injury, The B.C. Catholic, the official media outlet of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver, first reported. However, despite the priest’s assertion that his condition is not and never was fatal, he says a doctor had raised the possibility of him taking his own life through Canada’s taxpayer-funded and government-run Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program in the event his injury worsened.

“I think I was very shocked. It is such a sensitive subject,” Holland told The B.C. Catholic about being given the option of MAiD, in an interview published Tuesday. “There are some things you just don’t talk about to some people.”

The priest told the outlet that the doctor said to him that MAiD is “something they have to discuss with someone who’s been given a terminal diagnosis.” Holland had at the time known made his moral opposition to euthanasia — which Catholic doctrine explicitly forbids.

After weeks passed, a nurse would also offer MAiD to Holland, he told The B.C. Catholic, adding that the nurse’s offer appeared to come out of a sense of “false compassion.”

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The great bait-and-switch of state assisted suicide laws

Last March, 31-year-old Eileen Mihich was found dead in a room at the Hotel Deluxe in Portland, Ore. Near her body was an empty bottle of the poison pills prescribed specifically for physician-assisted suicide.

Mihich had obtained this concoction from a pharmacy in Mill Creek, Wash., despite not meeting any of the legal criteria to obtain it. She was not terminally ill. She had not seen even one practitioner. She also had serious mental illness that rendered her capacity questionable, and she was not a resident of Washington state.

One year after lodging a formal complaint with the Washington Department of Health, her family has still received no word on how their loved one could have received these deadly drugs.

The incident helps illustrate the classic bait-and-switch nature of the modern assisted suicide movement and the effort to make suicide-affirmation a form of medical care.

The first U.S. state to legalize the practice, Oregon, promised that cases like that of Mihich wouldn’t happen. In the subsequent decades, the assisted suicide lobby has continuously protested too much that no documented case of abuse exists. This nonsense has long been discredited. In fact, the very first woman to die from Oregon’s original suicide law was pushed through the doctor-shopping process despite her likely ineligibility. A litany of other cases of abuse has followed.

Outside the U.S., it is almost satirical how ravenous the system has become for new victims of abusive practices. Recently, multiple outlets have documented how an 81-year-old woman in Canada was offered to be put to death by the state on account of her back pain.

Mihich’s tragic case ought to bring renewed scrutiny to how this flimsy, dangerous system operates in the U.S. Bills to legalize the practice are active in 13 states, and two other states are looking at removing their existing safeguards.

Eileen’s workaround was disturbingly simple and works in all 13 states where suicide-affirming care is legal. She knew she did not meet her native Oregon’s eligibility requirements. So she found a random doctor’s publicly available National Provider Identifier, which she used to forge a prescription. She spoofed that doctor’s email address and submitted the fraudulent application by email to a pharmacy, which signed the prescription.

Eileen picked up the fatal dose shortly thereafter.

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U.K. Assisted-suicide Bill Dies in House of Lords

The United Kingdom’s controversial assisted-suicide bill has died a well-assisted death in the House of Lords. But supporters in the House of Commons, who blamed its failure on parliamentary maneuvering by Peers, hope to reintroduce it next session and use their own tricks to get it on the books nonetheless.

Peer Pressure

Introduced by Labor Party MP Kim Leadbeater, the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would grant adults expected to die within six months the right to medical assistance in killing themselves prematurely.

The bill passed the Commons last summer, but stalled in the Lords after Peers mounted “near-unprecedented levels of opposition to” it, reported Right To Life UK. The organization noted that “nearly 80 Peers have so far tabled or signed amendments highlighting concerns with the Bill” and “131 Peers have either spoken against the Bill or signed amendments raising such concerns.” Furthermore:

131 is an exceptionally high number of Peers opposing a Bill, particularly one where debates are reserved for Fridays, when Peers are often not expected to be in Parliament. It is even more remarkable given that the Bill had not completed Committee Stage or reached its Report Stage or Third Reading. In addition to these 131 Peers, it is known that many more Peers are opposed to the Bill. Others have already spoken out in the media or expressed concerns via written parliamentary questions.

The bill received 14 Friday debates without getting out of the committee stage, during which time Peers introduced over 1,200 amendments, “believed to be a record high for a bill introduced by a backbench MP,” according to the BBC.

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