The New Grim Reapers - Practitioners of bioethics say who should live -- and who should die

Wesley J. Smith ^ | Wesley J. Smith

[Iam1ru1-2]

The new grim reapers Practitioners of bioethics say who should live -- and who should die

by Wesley J. Smith Sunday, June 9, 2002 ©2002 San Francisco Chronicle.

Is all human cloning wrong?

Should doctors be allowed to kill people in permanent comas and harvest their organs?

Would it be moral to deny expensive medical procedures to the seriously ill and disabled in order to provide health coverage for the uninsured?

Do elderly people have a duty to die to spare their families and communities the financial and emotional costs of their care?

These and even more provocative questions are the grist of bioethics, a relatively new field of philosophy that grapples with issues of morality in the context of health care and biotechnology. In this era of high-tech medicine, when genetic researchers aspire to seize control of human evolution, bioethical issues may seem beyond the comprehension of mere mortals. That is why the practitioners of bioethics have gained so much influence:

They claim to have the answers.

They advise presidents about controversial health-related policies. They testify in front of state and federal legislative committees. They appear in courts as expert witnesses. They consult with biotech companies engaged in research into human cloning. University bioethicists teach ethics to the doctors and nurses of tomorrow.

[cpforlife.org]

Moral Relativism at the Gate of Hospice

[hocndoc]

bioethics in the minds of some is how to live forever. For others, it's eugenics,which ends up to be euthanasia, far too often.

http://www.lifetree.org/timeline.html

Then, for the history, "What is Bioethics?"
http://www.all.org/abac/dni010.htm
(it's very long, but worth it)


And then, there's our fight in Texas this week:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1378952/posts?page=18

[hocndoc]

Even some of the Christian bioethicists at Trinity International University and The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity http://www.cbhd.org/ call bioethics the new anthropology. But I don't like that, because it implies that the future history and study of man will be more because of how man manipulates man than how man manipulates his environment, culture and tools. (But, I'm afraid they're right)

Take a look at that "What is Bioethics" link .
http://www.all.org/abac/dni010.htm


And at this conference to be presented by CBHD this summer
http://www.cbhd.org/conferences/chi-2005.htm

[little jeremiah]

Ping to me for later pingout. Wesley Smith is a good guy.

[windchime]

"University bioethicists teach ethics to the doctors and nurses of TOMORROW. (emphasis mine)"

George Soros on his initiation of Project on Death in America:

Reflections On Death In America A speech given by George Soros on November 30, 1994 for the Alexander Ming Fisher Lecture Series at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center

"In three years we will have a leader and role model in place in one-fourth of the countrys medical schools."

[Sun]

George Soros is trying to ruin our country with his money.

I believe he hates America.

[Sun]

Another woman is being dehydrated and starved to death. For those who don't know background, story is at end of contacts.

Also, see this thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/post?id=1379016%2C591

Please help us notify media. Do as much as you can. If you only have a little time, please do SOMETHING. Thanks.

If you have a lot of time, you can contact eeevil conservative by PM, in order to get her name & give it as contact info., as she has talked with Mae's family and others.

Sean Hannity's e-mail: James.Grisham@abc.com

And click next link for the media in GEORGIA

http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/?command=state_search&state=GA&submit.x=13&submit.y=10

Special Note

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Here's the background for those who don't know:

To view ENTIRE article, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/a...RTICLE_ID=43688

Thursday, April 7, 2005
MATTERS OF LIFE AND DEATH
Granddaughter yanks grandma's feeding tube
81-year-old neither terminally ill, comatose, nor in vegetative state
Posted: April 7, 2005
7:33 p.m. Eastern

By Sarah Foster
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

In a situation recalling the recent death of Terri Schiavo in Florida, an 81-year-old widow, denied nourishment and fluids for nearly two weeks, is clinging to life in a hospice in LaGrange, Ga., while her immediate family fights desperately to save her life before she dies of starvation and dehydration.

Mae Magouirk was neither terminally ill, comatose nor in a "vegetative state," when Hospice-LaGrange accepted her as a patient about two weeks ago upon the request of her granddaughter, Beth Gaddy, 36, an elementary school teacher.

Also upon Gaddy's request and without prior legal authority, since March 28 Hospice-LaGrange has denied Magouirk normal nourishment or fluids via a feeding tube through her nose or fluids via an IV. She has been kept sedated with morphine and ativan, a powerful tranquillizer.

Her nephew, Ken Mullinax, told WorldNetDaily that although Magouirk is given morphine and ativan, she has not received any medication to keep her eyes lubricated during her forced dehydration.

"They haven't given her anything like that for two weeks," said Mullinax. "She can't produce tears."

The dehydration is being done in defiance of Magouirk's specific wishes, which she set down in a "living will," and without agreement of her closest living next-of-kin, two siblings and a nephew: A. Byron McLeod, 64, of Anniston, Ga.; Ruth Mullinax, 74, of Birmingham, Ala.; and Ruth Mullinax's son, Ken Mullinax.

Magouirk's husband and only child, a son, are both deceased.

In her living will, Magouirk stated that fluids and nourishment were to be withheld only if she were either comatose or "vegetative," and she is neither. Nor is she terminally ill, which is generally a requirement for admission to a hospice.

Magouirk lives alone in LaGrange, though because of glaucoma she relied on her granddaughter, Beth Gaddy, to bring her food and do errands.

(Excerpt)

[Sun]

And to end the filibusters for judicial nominees, click here:

http://www.capwiz.com/nrlc/issues/alert/?alertid=7354231&type=TA

[eleni121]

Hospice has not only helped the euthanasia movement, it has cleared the way for acceptance of it.

[shibumi]

"The best-known proponent of such views is Peter Singer. He is world famous (or infamous) for advocating that parents should have a period of time to decide whether to keep or kill their newborn infants. His support for infanticide is founded on personhood theory. Since infants aren't persons, he believes, they are "replaceable" -- and hence killable -- like all other "non self-conscious animals." Thus, he has written, in "Practical Ethics": "Since neither a newborn infant nor a fish is a person, the wrongness of killing such beings is not as great as the wrongness of killing a person."



Let's see now. Singer would have us weigh the total amount of happiness that each potential life could have in determining its worth.

I wonder what the total amount of happiness of all the babies he would have us kill is compared to, let's say, the amount of happiness in HIS life. Perhaps we could have Judge Greer make an evaluation of Singer's "Happiness Quotient" and determine if he was using up too much of the air, food and water that could be sustaining younger and more promising individuals.

Sorry Pete, you're just not happy enough.....this won't hurt a bit.....you might feel a sense of euphoria.....

[shibumi]

SORRY! I meant to attach this quote to the last post:

"When the death of a disabled infant will lead to the birth of another infant with better prospects of a happy life, the total amount of happiness will be greater if the disabled infant is killed. The loss of the happy life for the first infant is outweighed by the gain of a happier life for the second. Therefore, if the killing of the hemophiliac infant has no adverse effect on others it would be right to kill him."

[Mr. Silverback]

ProLife Ping!

If anyone wants on or off my ProLife Ping List, please notify me here or by freepmail.

[cpforlife.org]

Dear hocndoc,

I was familiar w the second but the first link is very important.

I think both should be independent threads. I'll be happy to post but want to see if you'd prefer to yourself since they're your references?

Please let me know.

http://www.lifetree.org/timeline.html

http://www.all.org/abac/dni010.htm

[hocndoc]

You do a better job of posting - please go ahead.

[Coleus]

bttt