VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Public Library has refused permission for Exit International, an Australian assisted-suicide organization, to hold a workshop on suicide in its main downtown location.
The organization had initially proposed holding a workshop Sept. 10 in the central library, but city librarian Paul Whitney cancelled it after talking to Vancouver police and seeking legal advice.
The seminar was to be in two parts: the first a public discussion on the politics of the right-to-die movement, the second a private presentation for those over the age of 55 seeking information on methods of committing suicide.
It was this private part of the program that caused the library to cancel the event.
Freedom of speech doesn’t
Freedom of speech doesn’t mean everyone has the right to say anything they want, anywhere they want.
The whole topic is a little creepy, but the “private presentation for those over the age of 55 seeking information on methods of committing suicide” sounds flat-out inappropriate for a public library program.