Assisted Suicide, Widows & Orphans
Ian & Pam Dorion dorioni@ipa.net
Sun, 09 Nov 1997 06:57:26 -0600 (00879101846, 3465B336.7719@ipa.net)
Richard F Lead wrote:
>
> At 12:42 PM 8/11/97 -0600, Claire wrote:
>
> [big snip]
>
> >I think 4 million dollars against an assisted-suicide initiative was
> >money very well spent. What I find tragic is that the Catholic Church
> >lost this one. I dread the future if assisted suicide becomes
> >commonplace. The ones who will be expected to commit suicide will most
> >likely be the poor who cannot afford good insurance. Also, I would guess
> >that women would be more likely to feel pressure to commit suicide, so
> >they won't be a "burden" to anyone. Most of the good Dr. Kevorkian's
> >"patients" have been women.
> >
>
> RICHARD:
>
> Sorry to confront your fears with the cold light of reality, but Australia
> had in place legislated euthanasia laws which were used on three occasions
> before the Armies of the Night (ie the christian churches) successfully
> lobbied to repeal them.
>
> The act of euthanasia was initiated by the patient by following instructions
> on a computer. At all times the patient could abort the procedure. Before
> the procedure could occur, the patient's own doctor had to certify the
> patient's condition was imminently terminal (ie a matter of weeks), the
> patient was in agony, and the agony could no longer be treated by palliative
> methods. A specialist in the patients disease had to independently confirm
> this diagnosis. Finally an independent psychiatrist had to certify that the
> patient was sane, was not suffering from treatable depression, and was not
> being pressured by family to euth himself.
IAN
How sad that a person should have to go through all thissuffering and expense.
RICHARD
> The controls were so strict most patients died in agony from their terminal
> disease before the necessary euthanasia paperwork could be completed. But
> one thing which the active use of these laws did NOT show was their
> avoidance by wealthy males to make room for their use by poor females. Sorry.
IAN
What!? Certainly the rich had enough money to buy all the drugs and medication
they would need and be able to live the last of their lives in luxary.
RICHARD
> Thanks to the wealthy tax exempt churches, these people now die in agony the
> way the churches demand - their intravenous lines are removed and they are
> allowed to dehydrate and starve to death over a period which can last
> anything up to 10 days. And your church considers THAT to be preferable to a
> quick and painless end. Shame on you. Shame on you.
>
> Why are christians so terrified of death?
>
> Richard
> "The churches used to win their arguments against atheism, agnosticism,
> and other burning issues by burning the ismists, which is fine proof that
> there is a devil but hardly evidence that there is a God."
> Ben N. Lindsey and Wainwright Evans, The Revolt of Modern Youth (1925)
IAN
It's the Christian's 'Introduction to Hell.'