From coast to coast this morning, on the 23rd of February 2014 Canadians were either sleeping or celebrating or perhaps up for hours already. Our Olympic men's hockey team had just won the gold metal and the country was alive with excitement, the heroes of our national past time wowed the country again. But something a little sneaky, something clearly planned was unfolding at the national Liberal convention. A controversial motion was being past while the country was sleeping, celebrating or busy with other things.
(see it here - http://t.co/bMfwKbDqaA)
Social media has become one of the most important tools political parties can get their message out, it also can be their Achilles heal. So while the country was distracted, perhaps to avoid any social media backlash, the Liberals passed a motion saying that if they gained power they would open the doors to allowing Doctors to kill their patients if that's what they so desired. Yes "Killed".... I used this language on purpose, for that's what it is. The liberals call it dying with dignity but that's false, words and phrases have meanings and that is the incorrect use of this term.
The argument people use is the fact that they want to die with dignity. Can you still not have dignity even if you have lost everything else including your health? This is not just an issue for those seeking assisted suicide but also an issue for the vulnerable of society.
One example of this exploitation of the vulnerable is evident in the case of Robert and Tracy Latimer. Because she was severely handicapped he did not think her life should continue so he killed her.
However, because he made the case that it was an act of mercy, he was only found guilty of second degree murder (though it was clearly premeditated) and given only a two-year sentence (of which only one would be spent in prison).
Eventually his sentence was appealed and he received the minimum ten year sentence.
Because he was in minimum security he was able to complete apprenticeships in prison and still managed his farm. Apparently disabled people like Tracy are not protected by the law to the same extent as fully autonomous people because they do not demonstrate the same degree of autonomy as others. Understood this way, human dignity is not really for humans – it is dignity for autonomous agents.
If removing choice and control (autonomy) is tantamount to removing dignity, than dignity is subjective and easily lost. Infants, the disabled, seniors, and even people who are sleeping have lost control over themselves.
Another example is a prisoner of war in a concentration camp – what dignity would they have if they lost the ability to make choices in accordance with their aspirations? If the court is going to be consistent, it would have to conclude that these people have also lost their dignity. Yet this is contrary to reality. We recognise prisoners of war with medals of bravery and hold them in high esteem for what they went through. Rather than hoping that their lives be extinguished to preserve them further suffering, we rejoice when they persevere against all odds. Likewise we treat our grandparents with even greater care when they lose some of the functioning that makes it more difficult to look after themselves. We also applaud the disabled for their determination. In all of these situations, it is apparent that dignity is not about making a choice to give up. Rather, it is about facing life with courage, gentleness, kindness, decency, hope, determination, and faith in spite of the circumstances of life. Legalising euthanasia and assisted suicide would further weaken the legal protection for Canada‘s most vulnerable people. The sad reality is that in countries where euthanasia is legalised, a large percentage of those who die never give their consent. Others decide for them that their life isn‘t worth living. For example, the 2009 statistics from the Netherlands that were just released show that 550 deaths happened without explicit request or consent. To add to that, the overall number of euthanasia deaths increased by an astounding 13% over 2008.
Why are these numbers skyrocketing? Who decides when someone no longer has the dignity to continue to live? In an ageing welfare society where seniors and the disabled are increasingly seen as a burden on the state, it is hard to believe that the patient‘s dignity is what determines whether they live. Using dignity talk to justify this shameful reality reveals that the concept itself is being exploited.
Now if you say, well this is only for those terminal or in the evening of their life and suffering I have to point out and ask, how long will that last? Lets look at Belgium they recently just legalised child Euthanasia. http://www.lifenews.com/2014/02/20/american-college-of-pediatricians-blasts-belgium-for-legalizing-child-euthanasia/
How long will it be if passed in Canada before this is legal here then too? How long till we start adding other criteria to the list of why we can euthanize someone? Are we ignoring history? The Nazis started their march to the final solution by starting down this same road. Now before people get all upset, no I'm not calling the Liberals Nazis, I'm pointing out how wrong it is to go down this path, how easy it is to start taking those little baby steps in the wrong direction and the way it could go( and history does repeat its mistakes).
It seems to be a constant battle against what appears to be always coming from the left side of the political spectrum, the thought that killing our preborn young, and now the sick and dying, our elderly, those having difficulties in this life is a solution to the problems we face. This isn't a solution and although they say its a hard decision I see it as an easy way out. Instead of thinking death is the solution the real focus should be on life, living it, protecting and caring for it even when that's hard.
So what is the answer, what is it that that I believe the Liberals are ignoring or running from? The responsibility to truly care and take care of each other, rather then finding a quick easy solution.
Caring for one another should be the focus, investing in helping one another face the challenges of this life and not abandoning them or tossing them aside because they are a burden. We have been blessed in this modern world with the finest of medical technology, medications that can aid in pain control, and the Palliative care we have is top notch, all we have to do is put in the effort to really and truly care for those in need. Respect for life, treating it with the utmost value, helping those who are having a hard time face it with love compassion is the real solution to the problems so many face. So let us embrace a culture of LIFE!
