Next Stop, Legal Genocide?

I have written before about abortion as a step down the slippery slope toward involuntary euthanasia. Here is more evidence of the slipperiness of the slope:

The World Federation of the Catholic Medical Associations published a statement in response to the decision to allow Groningen University Hospital [in Holland] to euthanize children under 12 when their suffering is intolerable, or if they have an incurable illness.

The document states that this initiative "is another violent laceration of the very fundamentals of our social coexistence."

"Officially aimed at putting an end to 'unbearable suffering,' in fact it permits the killing of human beings without their consent," the statement continues....

"This happens in a society, as the Dutch one, in which euthanasia on adults has been legally performed even on depressed persons and where, as documented by official studies, there is already an illegal but tolerated euthanasia performed by physicians" on patients who have not given their consent, the statement adds....

Worse yet, "it opens the door on a national scale to the 'mercy killing' of other mentally incompetent persons, to be eliminated without their consent for reasons based on an external appreciation of their quality of life," said the federation.

This move is also in line with the Aug. 26 decision of the Kentucky Supreme Court, which granted legal authority to the state to end the life of one of its citizens, the statement adds [emphasis mine].

"The case involved a mildly retarded black male, Matthew Woods, who was placed on a ventilator after suffering cardiac arrest at the age of 54. The state requested permission to remove his life support, contrary to the wishes of Woods' guardian ad litem," the statement explains....

"The next steps will be the mental capacity bill under scrutiny by the British Parliament, and the attempt by local authorities to change the ethical code of Belgian doctors," the statement stresses.

"The risks of such an attitude, in terms of violence and discrimination, should be evident for physicians and call them to resist and fight," the statement concludes.

[Zenit.org ZE04090305]

Are you ready to be put down by your heirs? It could happen here.

Libertarians ought to be up in arms about euthanasia. Where are they on the issue? Buried deep in the Libertarian Party website is one reference to euthanasia, in a string of comments about politicians least popular with libertarians:

My vote for most anti-freedom political zealot goes to Pat Robertson. [Who] espouses [among other things] condemnation of euthanasia...[emphasis mine].
-- Barry Rowe, Melbourne, Florida

And that's all to be found on the website of the political party that claims to "hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives...." No wonder I am developing a case of deep disrespect for the Libertarian Party as a exponent of libertarian ideals.

Thanks to my daughter-in-law for the tip about the statement by the World Federation of the Catholic Medical Associations.