8mm
Posted on 03/28/2008 5:25:10 PM PDT by Grzegorz 246
Teenagers should be given the right to medically assisted suicide and the parents of terminally ill younger children should be able to choose euthanasia under proposals from members of Belgium's coalition government.
The plans to extend rules allowing doctors to perform euthanasia on terminally ill people suffering "constant and unbearable physical or psychological pain" comes amid heated Belgian debate on the issue.
Under existing Belgian laws, in place since 2002, patients, other than newborn babies, must be over 18 to qualify for assisted suicide, a situation that Bart Tommelein, leader of Belgium Liberals, wants changed.
Mr Tommelein, whose party is a key member of Belgium's coalition government, has pledged to bring forward new legislative proposals extending euthanasia to children and old people suffering from such severe dementia that they are unable to choose for themselves.
"We will seek, as Liberals, parliamentary majorities," Mr Tommelein said.
The ethical debate will mean another headache for Belgium's new Prime Minister Yves Leterme and his fragile government, which took power last week after a nine-month political crisis.
Cardinal Danneels, Belgium's Catholic Cardinal, used his Easter sermon to start a polarised national debate on euthanasia.
"Avoiding suffering is no act of bravery," he said. "Our society seems unable to cope with death and suffering."
The Cardinal has reacted to Belgian media "glorification" of the "brave" euthanasia least week of Hugo Claus, a Flemish writer suffering from Alzheimers disease.
There are more than 39 cases of euthanasia declared by doctors in Belgium every month, but the true figure is thought to be double that.
Euthanasia is currently permitted on infants and more than half of the Belgian babies who die before they are 12 months old have been killed by deliberate medical intervention.
In 16 per cent of cases parental consent was not considered.
You think a 16 year old can make that decision wisely?
What about 6 month old ? This is already legal.
Wow. Just wow at that propaganda you found and posted.
All human problems can be eliminated by human extinction.
Brilliant method of responding to the human condition. A kind of idiot arithmetic, consisting solely of subtraction.
Old enough?
9?
19?
90?
Variable, depending on assessment by the State Board of Quality Control and Compassionate Niceness?
Not quite yet. Pope Benedict has a couple of cards up his sleeve.
If you believe that all human problems can be eliminated by pharmaceuticals, then you're essentially shoring up your own argument.
Have you ever seen someone who's so whacked out on Xanax that they can barely enunciate their words and have just enough energy to get from their bed to the toilet and back? I have a friend who's a "victim" of anxiety, and he's popping 3 - 5 Xanax a day. And his damn doctor continues to fill his scripts! 90 pills for a 30 day period... are you serious? You don't think that's excessive?
I'm not a proponent of his demise, but seriously... what sort of life is that to live? I tried to drag him out of the house to the gym with me, kayaking, bike rides on local trails, even GeoCaching... he just wanted to go home halfway through the experience for one reason or another.
As long as the medical establishment looks at curing the maladies of man with a pill as the answer, we're not getting any better as a society. I, too, suffer from anxiety, but I've learned that exercise, proper diet, a little spirituality and good, old fashioned positive thoughts keep me on even keel without the help of Big Pharma.
Don't mistake my commentary for idiot arithmetic. These people have to want to get better. Their want to die is their own problem. We shouldn't have to legislate for them to be allowed to off themselves, but we should bring more scientific scrutiny to an industry that may very well be turning the minds of these people into suicidal miasmas.
But why would you "off" yourself?
Why wouldn't you just stop spending the hundred grand, and get youself into a simple decent place where you can live -- clean, fed, clothed, sheltered --- and a few chosen kin or dear ones can sit by, pray, open beers and trade wisecracks, until your well-and-truly natural death comes and claims you?
That would be the better option. Take my word for it.
Not at all. (????) I've never said that, never written it, never implied it, and never believed it.
I appreciate your concern about kids whacked out of Xanax.
"...exercise, proper diet, a little spirituality and good, old fashioned positive thoughts keep me on even keel without the help of Big Pharma."
Amen to that.
With this type of Liberal, socialist thinking in Europe it sure does explain how the Nazis came to power and never left. Couple the Libs here with half the sheople getting handouts and having no knowledge of history....God help US.
You're right. My apologies. I got a little heated in this thread. Thank you for being understanding.
My point is that I see no reason if a person is wanting to die, why they need to involve others to "assist" them.
The law in Oregon where, I believe, there is legally assisted suicide states that the person must be alert, oriented and know exactly what he or she wants. They must be physically capable of taking the suicide concoction prepared by others by themselves.
So why can't they just swallow a bunch of pills on their own?
To me, assisted suicide is just a way for the person who wants to die to spread the responsibility around. Maybe it alleviates some of their own guilt. I don't know.
I'm not making light of suicide. I've been in depths of hopelessness myself where it crossed my mind. Only my belief in God and faith in Him and my love for my family kept me from going forward in that regard.
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