Video Librarian, Jul/Aug 2008

Euthanasia, or assisted suicide, remains one of the more controversial ethical topics in debate today, especially in the wake of the high-profile case of Terri Schiavo, a severely brain-damaged woman whose feeding tube was removed in 2005 after years of prolonged court battles between Schiavo's husband (who was in favor of letting her die) and her parents (who fought to keep her alive). Schiavo's brother, Bobby Schindler, is one of the anti-euthanasia interviewees in Turning the Tide, a Canadian production from the religiously-affiliated Salt + Light Television Productions (the program itself contains no religious references; a DVD extra features a message from CEO Fr. Thomas Rosica) that offers a calm and reasoned secular argument against assisted suicide through interviews with people coping with various levels of disability, as well as commentary from activists and counselors. One of the more persuasive voices here is that of Catherine Frazee, a wheelchair-bound woman who not only questions those who would create the "rules of killing," but also warns that once suicide is a legal autonomous choice, it also "implicitly becomes a suggestion." Citing increasing rates of euthanasia in Holland, Belgium, and the U.S. (Oregon), Frazee and others (including Manitoba senator Sharon Carstairs) point out the potential pitfalls of euthanasia (where depression and fear of becoming a burden to other family members can be a fatal deciding factor), while also exhorting the medical community to provide better palliative care for those who need it. Featuring a descriptive audio option, DVD extras here include bonus interview clips. Recommended. - R. Ptiman

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