For example, immediately
after the passage of Measure
16, Oregon’s law permitting
assisted suicide, Jean Thorne,
the state’s Medicaid
Director, announced that
physician-assisted suicide
would be paid for as “comfort
care” under the Oregon
Health Plan which provides
medical coverage for about
345,000 poor Oregonians.
Within 18 months of Measure
16’s passage, the
State of Oregon announced
plans to cut back on health
care coverage for poor state
residents.
In Canada, hospital stays
are being shortened while,
at the same time, funds
have not been made available
for home care for the sick
and elderly.
Registered nurses are being
replaced with less expensive
practical nurses. Patients
are forced to endure long
waits for many types of
needed surgery.
At the present time, the
State of Oregon has the
world’s only law specifically
permitting a doctor to prescribe
lethal drugs for the purpose
of ending a patient’s
life.
An attempt to legalize
euthanasia and assisted
suicide in Washington state
failed in 1991.
The following year, voters
in California turned down
a similar proposal. Interesting
note - During the campaign,
euthanasia leaders claimed
that all opposition was
religious, yet the groups
opposing the measure that
would have legalized euthanasia
and assisted suicide included
the California Commission
on Aging, California Medical
Association, California
Nurses Association, California
Psychiatric Association
and the California State
Hospice
Association. In addition,
all major newspapers throughout
the state, including the
Los Angeles Times, San Francisco
Chronicle, and the San Diego
Union Tribune took strong
editorial positions against
the measure.
A referendum to legalize
euthanasia and mercy killing
in Michigan failed in November
1998.
On November 7, 2000, Maine
voters joined ranks with
those in Washington State,
California and Michigan
by defeating a ballot measure
that would have legalized
assisted suicide. The measure,
the Maine Death with Dignity
Act (MDWDA), was placed
on the ballot as question
1: “Should a terminally
ill adult who is of sound
mind be allowed to ask for
and receive a doctor’s
help to die?” The
voters responded: 51% no,
49% yes.
The Hemlock Society and
other well-funded special
interest groups supported
this effort.
Although euthanasia is
widely practiced in the
Netherlands, it remains
technically illegal. Social
and legal acceptance of
euthanasia began in Holland
in the early 1970’s.
A series of court decisions
involving the actions of
doctors in various cases
began carrying out exceptions
in the Dutch laws against
homicide and mercy killing.
Over time, physicians were
granted more and more immunity
from prosecution if they
facilitated their patients’
death under court defined
“guidelines.”
In December 1993, a law
was passed protecting physicians
from prosecution if they
euthanize their patients
following the established
guidelines. Officially,
euthanasia is illegal except
for the exempted cases in
which the physicians follow
the guidelines.
On 11/28/00, the Dutch
Parliament’s Lower
House, by a vote of 104-40,
passed a bill to make euthanasia
and assisted suicide legal
under certain conditions.
This new law will go into
effect in early 2001, making
the Netherlands the only
country in the world to
formally legalize premeditated,
doctor-induced death.
In 1995 Australia’s
Northern Territory approved
a euthanasia bill. It went
into effect in 1996 and
was overturned by the Australian
Parliament in 1997.
For the latest about euthanasia
developments throughout
the world, see the IAETF
Update (International Anti-Euthanasia
Task Force) www.iaetf.org
The
Views of Peter Singer |
Australian bio-ethicist
Peter Singer, Ph.D., newly
appointed Chair of the “Ira
DeCamp Professorship of
Bio-ethicists” at
Princeton University’s
Center for Human Values
argues that quality of a
life should be considered
more important than its
sanctity.
“Killing
a disabled infant is not
morally equivalent to killing
a person. Very often it
is not wrong at all.”
He considers such “non-persons”
(a designation which is
also applied to adults)
who are living lives that
are not worthy of life and
thus can be eliminated as
useless “burdens”
to society.
When comparing humans with
animals, Singer often finds
animals are the superior
race.
Former Republican Presidential
Candidate Steve Forbes is
a Trustee and Benefactor
of Princeton University.
He met with the University
President and asserted that
if Princeton did not dismiss
Dr. Singer, he (Forbes)
would resign from the Board
and call off any future
financial commitments. The
University President refused.
Not Dead Yet is an organization
of handicapped and disabled
persons who object strenuously
to Dr. Singer’s beliefs.
They oppose “assisted
Suicide.” Their web
page is www.notdeadyet.org