I thought conservatives were about freedom? Like, personal freedom? Is your life really your own if you can’t choose to end it?
Any one can cop out and “choose to end it”. Anytime. We really don’t need or want government help in that decision do we?
That's not what this is about. This is about government giving its official sanction to people offing themselves and involving others in the act. The next step is euthanasia where government approves of its agents offing you if government deems your life too troublesome or expensive to maintain.
From my perspective and beliefs, freedom does not equal license. I don’t believe your life is your own. I would say while someone can choose to end his life, that someone doesn’t have a right to end his life.
If you WANT to kill yourself, do it.
There are very few who can not do the deed, THEMSELVES, without assistance.
However, when you institutionalize it, when you ask the public and the medical profession and the law to authorize it, it becomes dangerous.
I think of the elderly woman who came to see me, middle aged son in tow. She asked to change the beneficiary designation on some life insurance and annuity contracts. It was an “orphaned account” or one without a current, assigned agent or broker. I pulled up the file, pulled up the forms, and did what she asked. The daughter that was with her, at the time, became the sole beneficiary of everything.
Then, the next day, the same woman came in, with her SON in tow. The elderly woman wanted to change her beneficiaries again, to the son this time, as sole beneficiary.
I excused myself, and called the family attorney, whose phone number was in the file. I told him my concerns. The attorney advised me to tell my clients my concerns, and send the entire family to his office the next morning.
I agreed, in that conversation with the attorney, to be a witness in court that the mother was not of sound mind and body and that these changes seemed to be made under duress.
People with terminal illnesses are very, very vulnerable, and they often have some level of dementia as well.
Assisted suicide is GREAT for a family member that wants to change all the paperwork around, and then KILL OFF GRANDMA!
I'm not sure what or who gave you that idea.
Freedom provided it agrees with traditional conservative values and coincides with the party line.
Is your life really your own if you can’t choose to end it?
Your life yours? Surely you jest. Make your own decisions? Surely you're off your meds.
And here's the kicker- I have to put (sarcasm) in here somewhere or somebody will think I'm being serious and argue with me about these points...
Honestly, this is something I figured out when I was a kid. When people talk about freedom, they mean freedom for them. Everybody else is just supposed to agree with them.
Most abortions are done for convienence. It is not a big leap at all for people of the same mold to off other "burdens" and write it up as a doctor assisted suicide. In 6 years, the oldest baby boomers will reach 70 years old. In 15 years, a large number of them will be in their 70's. Hospitals will be heavily booked. If someone with cronic health problems is taking up a room and causing the hospital to lose money, I can see a "suicide" happening, much like Bill Clinton's old mysterious Arkancides. I can also see greedy children of some of the more wealthy boomers using maniupulation for will money. Greed brings out the dark side in people, especially when those can convince themselves that they are helping these people end suffering. Maybe that is the case, but it is not for these people to make that decision. These are humans with free will, not dogs.