[8mmMauser]

Ya think??

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The University of Calgary's Juliet Guichon and Christopher Doig (Who Decides When Enough Is Enough? — Feb. 19) have contributed a thoughtful and sensitive reflection on one of the most pressing issues of our time: the matter of life and death, and who decides when to withdraw life support and move to palliative care.

The momentary focus is on the case of Samuel Golubchuk, an 84-year-old Orthodox Jewish man on life support at Winnipeg's Grace Hospital. Mr. Justice Perry Schulman of Court of Queen's Bench recently ruled in favour of the family, which had sued to maintain Mr. Golubchuk on life support contrary to the wishes of doctors.

This is not a "religion versus medicine" issue. It is more a human-rights issue — specifically, the right to live.

Admittedly, Mr. Golubchuk's brain activity is severely compromised, but not a single doctor has said he is brain dead. He is on a breathing machine and a feeding tube, but he does interact at some level with his family. Are we prepared, in Canada, to tell family members who want a loved one to be sustained alive that this request cannot be honoured? Do we want to create a situation wherein we hand to the doctors this awesome power over life and death?...............................

In the matter of life and death, the family should rule

8mm

[8mmMauser]

Where is David Frum? Perhaps he is busy writing on the great compromisers of history or compassionate extremism.

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FP: How is the abortion issue working for the GOP?

Frum: In the past, it worked well. Only a small minority of Americans cared intensely about abortion, and of that minority a majority were prolife. I worry however that this may be about to change. If the prolife movement pushes ahead of the national consensus, which remains broadly prochoice, it could provoke a backlash just as Roe v. Wade once did. In the end, abortion will be reduced in much the same way as the US reduced alcohol abuse: by persuasion and education. Over-reliance on legal sanctions will not only fail, but will likely prove counter-productive – and not only for prolifers, but for the whole conservative movement. That’s what happened in the Terri Schiavo case.

FP: What is the place of environmentalism in future Republican politics?

Frum: It will have to be near the center – because it will be near the center of national politics. When you think of environmentalism, don’t think only of the favored headline issues of the big name enviro groups. Voters are at least as likely to be thinking of the town dump and six-lane highways when they refer to “the environment” as they are to global warming and biodiversity. It may be that our party’s first responders on these issues will be local and state officials. Practical successes to small scale problems can do a lot to rehabilitate our party’s image of unconcern....................................................

Comeback

8mm