Dear friends, this year the EACME conference will be held in Lille, France from October 2nd – 4th. The topic of the conference is: frailty, vulnerability and social participation.
Perspectives on Assisted Dying in Europe. Death may be seen as the greatest of harms or conversely, as a release from greater harms of suffering and indignity. The way in which we view death will of course influence our beliefs about the moral rightness or wrongness of assisted dying.
This is my first editorial as new president of EACME. During the annual EACME meeting in Bochum, a new Bureau was established. Rouven Porz is prepared to place his talents further in the service of EACME as its Secretary-General. Ruud ter Meulen is taking up the task of Treasurer.
I’m writing this editorial while I am high up in the mountains, in front of a nice partially ice covered crown of peaks, and with a wide green valley which opens beneath. From so high up, my attention and thoughtsare roaming freely, with lightness, peace and hope.
Why am I posing this question? No, not because I am in a midlife crisis and no, I still think my job is fun. But sometimes, and especially lately, I keep asking myself: why again did I become an ethicist?
The last time I met Father Abel was during the EACME (European Association of Centers of Medical Ethics) conference in Venice (September 2009). We were hosted at one of the beautiful places which only can be found by someone like Renzo Pegoraro of the Fondazione Lanza (Padova).
The year 2011 is coming to an end. Some of you will celebrate Christmas, others won’t, but none of us can withdraw from the enormous advertisement campaigns which roll over shops, stores and supermarkets.
The last EACME Newsletter’s Editorial included some hopeful prospects and, in the complicated humanity vicissitudes, we endeavoured to gather positive news, "revealing values in our global world".
Lately, there has been a lot happening in our global world. The media kept us updated about each event. Politically triggered revolutions in Northern African countries, a vast nuclear tragedy in Japan - all of these events are reported live to our living rooms as soon as we turn on the TV.