Saturday, December 8, 2007

Euthanasia - promoting a culture of death

The denial of parole this week for Robert Latimer sparked a lot of debate about legalizing euthanasia (it seemed mostly pro Latimer and pro euthanasia).

This letter clearly illustrates where I think legalized euthanasia leads:

[At a symposium] ...discussing the Oregon situation -- where physician assisted suicide is legal about 75% of patients who died with assisted suicide did so for depression or fear rather than terminal disease or pain.

A speaker from Holland, whose grandfather was euthanized against his will, reminded us that the most recent Dutch government report recorded 550 cases where patients were euthanized without their consent in 2005...

... the Gronigen University hospital [in Holland] is euthanizing newborns with disabilities based on the parent's request.

As in Oregon, most patients request euthanasia or assisted suicide because of depression or "a feeling of being a burden on others," which includes adolescents, even those 12-16 with parents' consent.

... with legalized euthanasia, the fragile seniors and people with disabilities will feel unwanted and request euthanasia, making the right to die become the duty to die.

... counselling, treatment for depression or palliative/hospice care....should be supported, rather than promoting a culture of death.


As with many ideas, good and bad, people (especially ‘authorities’) tend to go too far. Legalizing euthanasia is a bad idea that, in spite of good intentions, leads inevitably to horrendous abuses (the road to Hell ...).

Legalized euthanasia is a slippery slope with a very steep path to legalized murder.

3 comments:

Johnathon said...

I would support legalizing EUTHANASIA if the Liberal Party of Canada were the first to be euthanised.

Otherwise,it is just as grotesque as ABORTION.

hunter said...

Funny johnathon! Unfortunately lefties see nothing wrong in killing babies and ill people. The babies have no say, and the ill people have no rights if their families make the decision. Both are bad for our society.

John M Reynolds said...

And that is the importance of proof reading, Hunter. Do you realize you said that babies and ill people are bad for society? I know that is not what you meant but ... thanks for the laugh anyway.