Leo van Doesburg

At the end of 2018, ECPM Member and Senator Rónán Mullen 's report in the Council of Europe on Providing Palliative Care has been adopted the end of last year. This report affirms that Palliative Care is fundamental to human dignity and a component of the human right to health. Palliative care aims at the quality of life of both patients and their families. The Council of Europe asks the Member States to recognize palliative care as a human right and fully integrate it into their health-care system and to dedicate the necessary resources to it.  The Assembly deeply regrets that on the organisation of palliative care, hundreds of thousands of people in Europe still do not have access to appropriate palliative care services and is concerned about the lack of access to appropriate pain relief leading to situations in which patients suffer for months and even years and experience avoidable painful deaths.  Furthermore, the Governments should remove all obstacles that restr...

On Tuesday 19 September, the Spanish Congress will vote on a controversial new LGBTI Non-Discrimination and Equality. Although I am against discrimination, this Bill goes so far that fundamental freedoms as the freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief are in serious jeopardy.  The European Dignity Watch published an  excellent and detailed article that I gladly (with permission of the author Roxana Stanciu) like to share.  The EDW is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation based in Brussels and is active in the protection of human dignity and family.

The European Citizen’s Initiative (ECI) “One of us” has announced today that is has reached the necessary signatures to be introduced as an official petition to the European Commission. The collection of signatures will go on until October 31 st . This ECI, which requires support by at least one million EU citizens from a minimum of 7 EU member states, is an official invitation to the European Commission to introduce a legislative change to suspend EU-funding of embryonic stem cell research. (Source:  European Dignity Watch)

He took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by His wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53: 4-5) Dear Friends,     Easter is always a special time of reflection when we are remembering that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ suffered and died on the Cross to save us from our bad deeds and thoughts, from our sin. It is there on the Cross that God’s Love for us surpassed His justice, in that God gave “ His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him ” (John 3:16,17).   We are also asked to act based on justice and love. As followers of Jesus we should strive for justice and not compromise ourselves, even when we will...