Posted on 06/16/2005 6:53:51 AM PDT by rhema
. . .People of goodwill may disagree about Terri Schiavo's case. Yet as our society strays from its traditional belief in the essential dignity of every human life, we all must grapple with the implications of the notion that some lives are "not worth living."
Today, assisted suicide is lawful in Oregon. In the Netherlands, according to the New York Times, prosecutors no longer pursue cases against doctors who kill severely impaired babies after birth. The temptation to deal with the defective and incompetent by eliminating them is likely to grow as our society ages. Today, approximately 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease. In coming decades, projections suggest that about 40 percent of us will spend roughly 10 years in an infirm, demented condition. The way we deal with this situation will say much about us as a society.
Currently, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is staging an exhibit . . . called "Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race." It examines the idea of "lebensunwertes Leben" -- lives not worthy of life --which the Nazis used to justify their elimination of thousands deemed unfit to live: the retarded, the defective and the seriously ill.
Some German intellectuals championed this idea well before the Nazi era began. A 1920 book, for example, decried "the meticulous care shown to existences which are not just absolutely worthless" -- the disabled and deformed -- "but even of negative value." It called for applying the "healing remedy" of premature death, in order to "eliminat[e] those who were born unfit for life or who later became so."
Today, we must ensure that we ourselves are not tempted to start down this slippery slope --moved by free choice rather than totalitarian edict, and seduced by a shallow notion of "death with dignity."
(Excerpt) Read more at startribune.com ...
I'm going to start eating more saturated fat, get it over with quicker...
LQ
Conservatives were on the wrong side of this issue. Because of Terri Shaivo my wife has told me that she doesn't want to be kept alive in a PVS. But our marriage bonds apparantly don't mean anything to conservatives. The state should be the ones to decide, not me.
Excellent article...thanks for posting.
It is scary that some people think I should starve my grandmother to death (she has alzheimers). I pray for peace for Terri's biological family.
We were told that about abortion at one time also......
Since the parents lived on the joy that at least Terry could see them, and knew they were there for her,.....I thought the edict that she was BLIND was an especially nice touch. (mega sarcasm)
I'm not talking about public opinion, I'm talking about morals. What God joins together let no man separate. But we were on the side of having the state come between husband and wife.
I wouldn't consider MS a husband by any means......shacking up with another lady, having kids, etc.....that is not my definition of a husband.
Only if you completely misunderstand or misrepresent everything conservatives were saying.
What we all pointed out was that:
1. the person who had the most to gain from her death was the only person to have heard her utter the "don't want to live" statement.
2. There was no written declaration of her wish, and we all doubted that she'd have wanted to be dehydrated to death.
3. the parents were denied access and answers.
4. the parents offered to care for her themselves - so why not let them ? What did the husband lose by it ? Why didn't he just get a divorce and marry the woman he'd lived with for 10 years ?
Suppose your wife started living with another man when you fell into a PVS. Would you want your estranged wife to be the only spokesman for your death wishes, especially if your estranged wife would profit from your death is a variety of ways ?
If your wife was taking steps to divorce you at the time of your "fall", you may wish ANYbody but her was doing the decision making!
The settlement money had already been spent. This charge was made and rejected in 1998.
2. There was no written declaration of her wish
Terri told her husband that she didn't want to be kept alive. Genesis 2:23:
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. {24} Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
What part of those vows don't you understand?
4. the parents offered to care for her themselves - so why not let them ? What did the husband lose by it ? Why didn't he just get a divorce and marry the woman he'd lived with for 10 years ?
Because Terri's wish was not to be kept alive in a PVS. Michael was honoring her wish. What if your wife said she wouldn't want to be kept alive in a PVS but your wife's family disagreed?
Oh please...
He amazingly remembered this so called request 7 YEARS AFTER THE TUBE WAS PUT IN!!!
Terri's friend was instructed by attorneys NOT to mention the fact she was planning to divorce him.
Get with the facts, not just your holier than thou remarks on the sanctitiy of marriage. I bet God has a thing or two to say about abuse withinin a "marriage".
Why did it take so long for him to suddenly remember she had said that?
Always err on the side of life if there is ANY doubt.
What??????? The state should decide your life not you???
Please tell me you are not stupid and simply mistyped your comments.
The autopsy just showed that there was no evidence of abuse.
My wife has told me that she wouldn't want the feeding tube. Suppose her family did want her to keep it, and started suing left and right? Then our marriage vow would be turned into a mockery because of self-annointed conservatives.
1. the person who had the most to gain from her death was the only person to have heard her utter the "don't want to live" statement.
I don't know what "gain" there was for MS, I understand all settlement monies for Terry's care were long gone. I honestly don't know if my wife discusses her wishes with others. Are we now going to assume that anything we discuss with our spouses must now be discussed with others? How many folks are sufficient to meet this hurdle you are trying to raise, I need to create a list to be sure we are covered.
2. There was no written declaration of her wish, and we all doubted that she'd have wanted to be dehydrated to death.
What method do you supposed she wanted? We are all going to die and in most cases there will be a period of pain and suffering involved. Since you can ESP these things out what method would you choose for Terry? 30 more years away from heaven, out existing her parents, then a death by colon cancer after many surgeries maybe? Since she was under medical care and the government does not permit a painless way to be implemented, unless you are a murderer, what other options were there to satisfy her wishes?
4. the parents offered to care for her themselves - so why not let them ? What did the husband lose by it ? Why didn't he just get a divorce and marry the woman he'd lived with for 10 years ?
This sounds like you agree that if MS did not care about Terry he could have easily done just what you say. The only reason I can imagine he did go through this was to honor her wishes as I would expect my wife to do for me. It sure would have been much easier to just walk away. I only pray that I can show this same strength to meet my wife's wishes if heaven forbid something like this happens in our family.
I suppose if my wife started living with another man, that very same day I would be speaking with my lawyer initiating divorce proceedings and changing all my legal documents.
ping
Why do you suppose she wanted a divorce??? Because he was such a loyal and loving husband?????????
I agree, I am going to eat and drink what ever I want.
New Motto: Be Fat, Be Drunk, and Die Before The Dementia Sets In!!!
The best way to get it over with quicker is to get in a crowded inner city bus and hurl racial insults (aka "epitatphs" if reading the media account the next day).
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