Euthanasia

I’d like to also address a different kind of topic that is out there and that pops up once in a while in the news but is rarely discussed; euthanasia. This is where a patient asks repeatedly to die, fills out a form, and under the care of a physician is killed by him or her. Sounds simple. As a Catholic Christian, for me though, all life is sacred on any level or in any circumstance. I do of course understand the desire not to see a loved one suffer, I would just find it difficult to act upon these traumatic emotions.
Now, there are countries that already support the idea of doctor-assisted suicides, and what I would like to do is to show what can happen when these liberal ideas are promoted and sanctioned. The Dutch have had doctor-assisted suicides since 2001. As far as I know, there is a Hippocratic oath that doctors take. There are modern versions as well as the original one, but the ethical sense is there in either form. Here is a part of this oath, “I will prescribe regimen for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgement and never do harm to anyone. To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug nor give advice which may cause his death. Nor will I give a woman a pessary to procure abortion.”
Now of course you can take an oath and disregard its intent. I don’t believe however, that this makes you a very honest person, but a deceitful one. What does a person think he/she is doing when they take an oath without any intent to keep it? Here we have doctors who are sworn to protect life, killing off their patients. I guess who could ask of someone a high degree of moral/ethical behavior when just being honest was too difficult.
My point is, that the Dutch have been doing this for a while now, and they would be a model for anyone else who would like to try it. So let’s look at the Dutch and see how successful killing off their weak and infirm has been. Apparently it appears that it is going well, as there has not been one complaint from their patients, unlike those that are living who complain about their medical care constantly. Basically though, the new twist that concerns me in additional to my previous concern, is that the Dutch have now come to the conclusion that having doctor-assisted suicides are not enough only for the infirm. Now they would like to kill off those who aren’t even sick. In a recent article from The British Medical Journal it says, "Doctors can help patients who ask for help to die even though they may not be ill but 'suffering through living,' concludes a three year inquiry commissioned by the Royal Dutch Medical Association."
So now the bar has fallen considerably hasn’t it? Give them an inch and they take a mile, give them a foot….well, you get the idea. In less than five years they have taken an already morally unacceptable act and decided that not enough deaths are taking place and would like to kill off some of the “well” patients in addition. This past November a Dutch hospital even revealed that they have been euthanizing (killing) infants!? According to their own belief system, the person who wants to die has to request it. But these are infants! Some have called this progress. I call it regress and infanticide. This behavior has been found only find in the most bizarre, primitive and barbaric societies.
To close I would just like to offer you some comical absurdities.
Dan Rather, was interviewed and talked about the feeling that CBS for him is like a Camelot. Then he added, "Ed Murrow's ghost is here. I've seen him and talked to him on the third floor of this building many times late at night. And I can tell you that he's watching over us." Maybe Dan should have asked Ed about those Bush papers that were typed on a computer in Microsoft Word but looked to him after an exhaustive investigation to be 1970’s vintage Reserve Documents.
A random thought. Islamic fundamentalists believe that they will be given 72 virgins should they give their life for jihad. My thought was….who said the virgins were going to be female??? SURPRISE!!
And now it’s time for that spectacular game show, “Let’s Ask Mr. Nuance!” John Kerry finally revealed why he believes that he “lost” the election. And the answer Mr. Nuance gave is…, “We didn’t lose the election, we just didn’t win it.”
Well alrighty then, now I get it!!! Thank you, Senator for making the obvious available to us who are nuanced challenged. I guess it really depends on what “win” means. Pass the ketchup.

God Bless America