The Australian euthanasia debate has heated up, with Western Australia rejecting an active euthanasia bill, but legalization bills introduced in South Australia, New South Wales, and soon, Tazmania, among other places. The death movement is being fronted Down Under by the Greens, who see it simplistically as an issue of “choice,” regardless of the consequences to the vulnerable and the truth that it causes the end of choice because there is no changing one’s mind.
As I have discussed here before, the proposals broad and elastic, the “guidelines” mostly ephemeral, apparently designed more to give the appearance of close control–not that even they would followed, given the history of the Netherlands and Belgium. But even these restrictions are too strict for the primary Australian advocate of euthanasia, Philip Nitschke. As recounted in a friendly interview for a Green publication, he once again demonstrates that he considers being made dead a human right–which means it should be available to all competent comers, not just some. From the article:
The current debate focuses on the rights of terminally ill people, but Nitschke said there is also a bigger human rights issue at stake. “People say to me increasingly: ‘I make the decision about whether I live or die, it’s not up to other people and I want to know that I’ve got that choice’. Exit International is increasingly moving towards making sure every elderly person has that option, and sickness is really not a necessary criteria. “These days I don’t question people that come along who are of sound mind and over a certain age and say they want to die — I think they should have the wherewithal to take that step. We shouldn’t be trying to set some arbitrary standards that satisfy us, it should be left entirely to the decision of the individual. “That’s become something I’m quite passionate about and as we have this great number of aging baby-boomers getting into their twilight years, I can see it becoming a cutting edge social issue.”
It is shameful that the Greens, of all parties, are so hot for euthanasia. I remember when the political left–the one of which I was a part–cared most about protecting the lives of vulnerable people and promoting universal human equality. Now it abandons both causes in advocating for euthanasia.
I am a former liberal (I guess). But here’s a notable American political leftist, Robert P. Jones, who agrees that euthanasia is illiberal. From my review of his book, Liberalism’s Troubled Search for Equality:
Jones contends that assisted suicide, whatever its liberty claim, profoundly violates the superseding liberal principle that all lives are to be equally protected, since some suicidal persons will receive facilitation,and others prevention, some better care than others, some could be coerced through economic circumstances into not being a “burden,” etc. This being so, and since equality trumps liberty whenever they conflict [according to Ronald Dworkin], Jones argues that assisted suicide should not be legalized—much less made a constitutional right—particularly given the profound social inequalities faced by the seriously ill, the elderly, and people with disabilities….
Jones’ logically argued and precisely aimed brief against assisted suicide from a liberal philosophical perspective—no call to respect the sanctity of human life here—is a distinct service to the broader debate. He proves to anyone with eyes to read that legalizing assisted suicide would be decidedly illiberal and would be an exercise in crass solipsism. As Jones notes in his conclusion:
If liberals could summon the moral vision, integrity, and political will to forego, even temporarily, a liberty for the privileged that is costly to the already disadvantaged, this act would communicate a sincere commitment to equal concern and social solidarity. Failing to make these connections is tantamount to claiming that, in these circumstances, the lives of the disadvantaged matter less, and that position is one that no true egalitarian can tolerate.
So true. But, in my experience, committed assisted-suicide advocates, unlike the author, aren’t much interested in bringing about an ideal liberal and egalitarian society. Rather, theirs is an agenda of the privileged pursued mostly by single-minded advocates who want what they want—the right to die in the time, manner, and method of their own choosing. In achieving this goal, they don’t much care who gets hurt.
Liberalism has euthanized the better angels of its own nature in its pursuit of the death by prescription agenda, of which Nitchke is the most candid spokesperson. But there are still liberals like Jones who do not swallow the hemlock. Let’s hope the Joneses of the Left prevail. The morality of liberalism and the lives of people experiencing difficult circumstances both are on the line.
September 26th, 2010 | 5:01 pm
Logan’s Run is right around the corner.
September 26th, 2010 | 5:04 pm
Laws permitting medicalized killing of suicidal persons who are terminally ill will alter our present social environment here in Australia in which the terminally ill are entitled unconditionally to whatever palliative care, financial and other resources are necessary.
Social environmental economists might recognize in the making here a tragedy of the commons. Legalized medical killing sets a socially engineered trap, in which individual interests freely and legally gain access to a public resource (a health care system that provides unconditional specialized care for the terminally ill) and proceed to change the ethos of that public resource— from unconditional palliative care to optional care together with the option of medically assisted suicide.
A tragedy of the commons will unfold as the terminally ill are pressured subtly to accept the cheaper swifter option. This will lead eventually to depletion of the shared resource—the end of a truly universal, unconditional and beneficent system of care for the terminally ill. A gradual reduction of specialized clinics, hospices, palliative care resources and research dedicated to the needs of the terminally ill is therefore a typical ‘externality’ – i.e., the unintended and negative consequence of private decisions that end up affecting everyone.
Inexorably, more research resources, more clinics, more medical personnel will be directed towards ktenology—the science of killing.
September 26th, 2010 | 5:07 pm
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September 26th, 2010 | 6:20 pm
Wow; the slippery slope, Logan’s Run, “ktenology” … it gets more entertaining by the day. Did I miss the part that says the end of the world is imminent?
And note that in Wesley World voluntary euthanasia (i.e., assisted suicide) has now become “active euthanasia” because the doctor will administer the fatal dose for you if you don’t feel up to doing it yourself. Consent is no longer an issue, it seems.
And that from a man who labels those who fiddle with definitions “mendacious.” LOL
September 26th, 2010 | 10:00 pm
That a go History Writer!
How dare Wesley try to imply that this little humanity health care of letting a few elderly, sick and unwanted children from having a say as to whether they should die be considered as “active euthanasia” where consent is no longer ever going to be an issue in time.
You know what HW, Wesley’s World is starting to sound like sinner vic’s Hotel of Fools where “IT” is now becoming a Goodbye Cruel World for most humans. I kid you not, sinner vic is planning on taking over this planet with his alien so called friends from far off Galaxies when I turn 66 and if I don’t join him and his team, he’s going to have me committed again and I told him that “IT” would be over my dead body and where will I be if Wesley won’t let them give me and others a free will to dies.
Yes folks, you’ve guess “IT”, I’ll have to become a slave to sins again just like our ancestors.
After you’ve finished laughing, I want to tell you that sinner vic is also out to get all mentally retired children who might try to get in his way. Go Figure, for some reason, he thinks that they have some kind of spiritual power and could put a stop to his alien plans.
I hear ya! Please pray tell us Victor, what are his plan? :)
Well laugh if you want but he showed me how powerful is boys are and even gave me a little sample of “IT” in The Eighties or so but personally I’m trying to forget bout “IT”. If you’re really a History Writer and can slow Wesley down, I’m wiling to talk about “IT”.
Anyway, I was in church with so called Down Sin drom children who would not join him and because of “IT”, he made their tongue go in and out of their mouth at will. “IT” was strange to see but when “IT” happens to me, it was very embarassing and it is a kind of a shock treatment right now just thinking about it.
I had to put my hands over my mouth because my tongue, it just kept going in and out of my mouth at will and it was not my will to have it do so. To make a long story short, I’ll just say that My Dad put a stop to it in reality.
Victor stop going off on a tangent! I asked you what are His, sinner vic’s, plan?
That’s funny that you should capitalize his name and between you and me you can’t trust him cause he’s got cells in every human body and not too many can resist these travelling cells of his spiritual body cause they move like scientific winds and in some cases they control winds.
You’re not laughing at me are you?
No! NO! Ofcourse not Victor, “IT” is only a grin so look and see for yourself! :::)
Alright then, I’ll continue if Wesley’s cells will allow me to do so and after all he’s let you get away with HW, he just might allow this long comment.
Ok I tried to learn what I could about these alien so called god cells of sinner vic for my wife’s sake, I went to a hospital for a needle to let me sleep and after me and an old doctor agreed that I should go for a third visit at a mental hospital so they brought out a streacher and I jumped on it and said out loud, Welcome to the Victor, Harvey, Alphonse, Joseph comedy Special.
Although I was still not given a needle or anything and when I got to the mental hospital, I was taken into an office and a number of so called bodies just watched me and as I leaned back in their chair and after a few more minutes, they took the paper pad with nothing on it that satisfied them, they literally placed me in a small closed room and go figure, me, myself and i broke out into tears.
You’re off the direct topic again Victor!
Ok Wesley, I’ll try closing by saying that me and sinner vic have made a kind of a bet. I’m allowed to tell these alien so called gods that through science, I only own about 5% of my cells of this body kingdom of mine and sinner vic has been kind enough to supply the other 45% of the other spiritual heavenly body cells in order to keep me balanced in the real world.
Forget about telling others cause they’ll just laugh at you but between you and me, I think that sinner vic is starting to believe that Jesus The Christ was and is for real cause some of his good atheist friends have started to convince him of “IT” so there still might be hope for humanity.
Now folks, this is Top Secret material and if any of you really do try to use any of “IT”, please don’t use my name cause I’ll just deny “IT” and without “IT” what can any body really do but if you’re truly interrested I’ll tell you that “The Answer is Blowing in The Wind!”
Go Figure! Now where do I go from here folks but for what “IT” is worth, this sure is good wine!:)
Thanks for your generous time again Wesley and even though there’s so much more that I wanted to say, You’ve been very kind to allow this much.
God Bless,
Peace
September 27th, 2010 | 1:19 am
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September 27th, 2010 | 3:04 am
Surely you are not naive enough to think that voluntary euthanasia doesn’t already happen?
I recall a medical conference many years ago when the audience was asked to close their eyes and raise a hand if they had every helped a suffering person end it all. The vast majority had!
As for the argument that some doctors would coerce patients, there are already those who play God — remember Dr Shipman?
September 27th, 2010 | 3:57 am
What is liberal and what is conservative changes from century to century, and in some cases, from decade to decade. There are some things the liberals have gotten into in recent years that I have no interest in supporting. But I was involved in a lot of liberal causes in my younger day. Some of those causes are still around, but many are not.
Euthanasia and assisted suicide are new to the liberal agenda. It’s one reason I’m no longer a Democrat.
September 27th, 2010 | 5:34 pm
Ceecee: And it’s one reason I still am.
September 27th, 2010 | 6:05 pm
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September 27th, 2010 | 11:44 pm
(Snort) And of course, once you open the bag, people who *want* to commit suicide will seem like the resonable people, because they’re taking themselves out before they become a “burden” on their families and loved ones. Pretty soon, people like my father, who don’t want heroics but want to die a natural death, will be pecked and poked at as if they were imposing on us temporarily able-bodied folks.
All I can do is thank God that right now, my father is in a hospital that wants to give good end-of-life care to him, to ease his remaining time, until he departs on his own. He won’t have someone breathing down his neck, while he’s suffering from delusions and constantly confused (he hasn’t eaten in three months and is on morphine, so he’s not exactly of sound mind), trying to convince him to shuffle off this mortal coil before his time.
I can’t imagine how terrifying it might be to someone in his last days if a loved one or doctor was trying to convince him/her to end his/her life, especially if drug and illness induced confusion kept the patient from understanding what was really happening.
September 28th, 2010 | 2:44 am
[...] assisted suicide – and is planning to offer instructions on how to do it in Toronto and …Green's Push for Euthanasia in Australia Violates Liberalism Ideal of EqualityFirst Things (blog)Canada bans pro-euthanasia adToronto Sunall 16 news [...]
September 28th, 2010 | 1:08 pm
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