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22nd May 2020
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Peter Fitzpatrick TD: ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ orders placed on medical charts without consent of next of kin

Addressing the Minister for Health In the Dáil yesterday, Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick raised what he described as the “unbelievably serious matter” of ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ orders being written on the medical charts of residents in some nursing homes without evidence of discussing the matter with residents or seeking the consent of next of kin.

Deputy Fitzpatrick raised the matter in connection with the recent handling of the Covid-19 outbreak, particularly in nursing homes. He said that most families are totally unprepared when confronted with issues like do not resuscitate orders when a loved one becomes gravely ill.

Deputy Fitzpatrick said: “I know for a fact that many families who have been in this heart-breaking and terrible situation could not fully grasp what they were being asked and were one hundred percent dependent on the information given to them by those caring for their loved ones. They are now left with questions as to whether they did enough to save their loved ones and the answer, of course, is that they did. Any of us can only act on the information we are given. My concern is that patients and families are not significantly informed on the matter until it lands at their door.”

While paying tribute to “the heroic healthcare workers who have been standing in the firing line in recent months to help save the lives of others”, he mentioned a HIQA report that referred to the issue of ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ orders being entered in medical charts without any evidence of consent from residents or family members.
Deputy Fitzpatrick said that in some cases family members “believe that doctors are making judgments on whether their loved one should receive additional medical care not based on clinical considerations but on quality of life and other non-medical considerations.”

He said the lack of proper public consultation on these issues before the Covid-19 outbreak “has placed us in this impossible situation and caused huge heartbreak and even despair for many families.”
He called for an urgent public debate on the matter “that openly embraces the views of those who have been left out of the debate and side-lined in recent years.”

The Minister for Health gave Deputy Fitzpatrick an assurance that he will consider the matters raised and reply to him in writing.

You can read Deputy Fitzpatrick's question to the Minister and reply in Dáil Éireann yesterday here ([link removed])
Read more below and why not get involved in some of our projects and events. If you can, please complete our volunteer survey below. Thank you!

Students for Life have today launched "The Outlook Series - a conversation about life." In this video series, students will chat to fellow students, volunteers and well-known faces in the pro-life community over the coming months.

In the first episode, Gavin Boyne speaks to Críostíona Ní Laimhín about why she is pro-life. Click below to watch the video and get involved!

#StudentsForLife ([link removed]) #LifeIsBeautiful ([link removed]) #ChooseLife
([link removed]) #LoveBoth ([link removed])
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Usually at this time of your, many of our volunteers are in training to compete in the VHI Mini Marathon in June to raise much needed funds for support services for women in unplanned pregnancy and new mothers.

Since were are unable to do that this year due to Covid-19, we are encouraging you instead to join up to the LoveBoth June Fundraising Challenge.

Do you want to take part? All you need to do is commit to doing a 5k walk or run during the month of June.
You can register here ([link removed]) Once you register, we will send you out your official LoveBoth fundraising pack including a sponsorship form and t-shirt.

How else can you support the cause? Whether you are doing the challenge or not you can support this fundraiser here ([link removed])
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Thank you to all those who attended the PLC Network Webinar on the 6th May. Over 250 attended the event which was addressed by guest speaker Lord David Alton.

The next PLC Network will take place on 6th June. The theme of the Webinar is 'Striving for Clarity' and we will be joined by Deputy Carol Nolan TD, Ben Conroy of the Minimise Project, Katie Fenton of Students For Life and others.

The event is free and you can register instantly
here ([link removed])
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Have you ever wished you were better equipped to explain your pro-life position to others? Ever felt stumped by hard questions?

PLC Network is running a FREE series of online Communications Workshops for supporters and activists. Details below and you can register to attend here. ([link removed]) Places are very limited for this event.
With the help of our INCREDIBLE volunteers, we have connected with over 1000 people so far during these days of lockdown. We truly are #inthistogether ([link removed]) . If you or someone you know is feeling isolated and alone at this time and would appreciate a call from our team, let us know by reply. We are still looking for volunteers to assist with this telephone project. If you have a few hours to spare to assist, please let us know instantly here ([link removed])
We would love to have more volunteers sign up to help us with this work. Even a few hours per week could make a huge difference in the lives of a mother and her baby! If you would like to help, you can sign up instantly here ([link removed]) and your local hub co-ordinator will be in touch! You can get infomraiton on how to donate baby items here ([link removed]) or sign up to knit here ([link removed]) . If you can take a moment to email us a selfie of you with your knitting to [email protected], we would be delighted. Thank you. Follow us on Facebook here ([link removed]) and on Instagram here ([link removed])
Are you a secondary school (TY or older) or third level student? Would you like to experience working with a pro-active Human Rights organisation and develop skills in advocacy, campaign management and project planning? We are seeking ‘virtual’ interns to work part-time from home at this time. Internships run for one week periods throughout the Summer. Click here ([link removed]) to find out more and apply instantly!
We are very fortunate to have committed volunteers all over Ireland. Each week we will be highlighting one of our volunteers. Read more below about Melissa and Grace below!
Thank you to all of those who completed our Volunteer Survey sent out on email. If you haven't already, we would be grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete it here. ([link removed])
The next PLC Network Webinar will take place on June 6th 2020 from 11am to 12noon. Register FREE instantly here ([link removed])

PLC Network Communications Workshop for supporters and activists on 27th May at 8.30pm. You can register to attend here. ([link removed]) Places are limited.

The fourth Future Leaders Programme is recruiting. It is due to start as an online programme on 4th August 2020. Apply instantly
here ([link removed])

The PLC National Conference is scheduled for late October 2020 in the RDS Concert hall. However given the current situation, we will be reviewing the event and will let you know in plenty of time when registrations open.

Similarly the Annual Dinner for Pro-Life Education was scheduled for June of this year and has been postponed. We will let you know as soon as a date is confirmed. The dinner in 2019 was the first time that we partnered with Sallux, a European foundation that we hope to collaborate with more in the future. Here is a
link ([link removed]) to a short publication that offers some reflections and speeches on the event and follow up educational activities. We recommend you read it as an encouragement for those dedicated to the pro-life cause both in Ireland and Europe.
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Vital Signs is the e-newsletter of the Pro Life Campaign. We hope you and your families are keeping well in these unusual times. This email is to update you on what we have been working on recently, including news stories, project updates, and details of upcoming events. If you want to get in touch with us please do so by emailing [email protected]

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