Assisted Suicide Not Worth Dying For
Posted by: Angie Vogt | 08/02/2008 10:16 AM
Initiative 1000 (I-1000) advocates point to Oregon, our neighboring state on the left coast, as a model to look for in their "Death with Dignity" movement. Oregonians passed their own assisted suicide law about ten years ago, but advocates have been unsuccessful since then in keeping their movement alive.
I wonder which part of the law these nihilists think will appeal to Washingtonians the most. Could it be the convenience factor that allows a patient to request their death serum by phone? Or perhaps it's the efficiency it affords overworked and underpaid doctors, who can simply fax the prescription to any drug store.
Or perhaps, Washington state will be the second state in the country to see the clear and convincing cost-benefit analysis of offering a cheap death rather than pay for all those expensive life saving options like chemotherapy.
A recent report by Fox News explains that the state of Oregon offers that exact rationale to it's citizens, in particular to 53-year-old Randy Stoup of Dexter, Oregon who suffers from prostate cancer. He was informed by letter that the state wold happily cover the cost of physician assisted suicide, but, darn it, just couldn't cover the cost of chemotherapy.
Palliative care, which requires continuous close observation in administering pain relief and comfort to the dying is also expensive...and that's a luxury many "bottom line" bean counters just aren't willing to pay for. Tag the toe, put them in a drawer, that's what "death with dignity" advocates are all about.
This is what happens when a society hands over health care to large institutions, be it the government or private actuary driven insurance. The truth is, the one who pays has the power and in Oregon at least, the very value of life itself has been relinquished to the state.
In my weekly column in the Federal Way Mirror, I explain the philosophical underpinnings of the death movement. The one area where center-right politicos like myself do not cave in to fiscal pressures is where the value of life is concerned. In fact, Thomas Jefferson himself stated that "the prservation of life and not it's destruction" is a certain duty of government.
To learn more go to the No Assisted Suicide website.
I wonder which part of the law these nihilists think will appeal to Washingtonians the most. Could it be the convenience factor that allows a patient to request their death serum by phone? Or perhaps it's the efficiency it affords overworked and underpaid doctors, who can simply fax the prescription to any drug store.
Or perhaps, Washington state will be the second state in the country to see the clear and convincing cost-benefit analysis of offering a cheap death rather than pay for all those expensive life saving options like chemotherapy.
A recent report by Fox News explains that the state of Oregon offers that exact rationale to it's citizens, in particular to 53-year-old Randy Stoup of Dexter, Oregon who suffers from prostate cancer. He was informed by letter that the state wold happily cover the cost of physician assisted suicide, but, darn it, just couldn't cover the cost of chemotherapy.
Palliative care, which requires continuous close observation in administering pain relief and comfort to the dying is also expensive...and that's a luxury many "bottom line" bean counters just aren't willing to pay for. Tag the toe, put them in a drawer, that's what "death with dignity" advocates are all about.
This is what happens when a society hands over health care to large institutions, be it the government or private actuary driven insurance. The truth is, the one who pays has the power and in Oregon at least, the very value of life itself has been relinquished to the state.
In my weekly column in the Federal Way Mirror, I explain the philosophical underpinnings of the death movement. The one area where center-right politicos like myself do not cave in to fiscal pressures is where the value of life is concerned. In fact, Thomas Jefferson himself stated that "the prservation of life and not it's destruction" is a certain duty of government.
To learn more go to the No Assisted Suicide website.
Um, palliative and hospice care is relatively inexpensive - at least compared to the extravagant medical measures that come earlier in treatment. If insurance companies really wanted to save money, they would be pulling plugs much earlier. Seriously - not one single HMO or insurance company has contributed to the death with dignity campaign in Washington or in any other state. Don't you think that if this was going to save them so much money, they would put their considerable lobbying resources into making sure it passed?
Besides, there are 16 safeguards in Washington's death with dignity initiative to make sure there aren't any abuses.
It's not about fiscal pressure, it's about personal autonomy.
Death with dignity means that the terminally ill patient themselves - not the government, not politicians, not the church, and not the insurance companies - has the legal right to make that decision for themselves.
Visit http://www.itsmydecision.org if you want to know the truth.
Have you not heard of hospitals wanting to "pull the plug" without consent of pt or their families?? This IS and will be about saving money in medical costs or more accurately, about increasing the profit margin of health care companies. Our goal should not be to eliminate terrible suffering by killing someone, but to relieve suffering as much as possible. Who in this world now or who has ever lived, goes through this life without different forms of suffering? What about a mother who grieves the loss of a child, even after 2 years? Should a physician assist her to die and put her out of her misery? I mean, she stays in the house all the time and has poor quality of life.I think the safeguards for abuse are not followed, regardless of what you think. Just "google" and you'll find abuses.We are on a very slippery slope.