Tag: "euthanasia"

The Law of Human Nature Still Exists
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The Law of Human Nature Still Exists

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Is there anything so wicked as a man trying to silence his conscience?  It is a willful act that happens in stages: Bit by bit, incident by incident, rationalization by rationalization, the voice of a man’s conscience can be stifled—that still small voice within him eventually becomes fainter, until his heart turns to stone and […]

Holy Week, Choice and the Problem of Evil and Sin
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Holy Week, Choice and the Problem of Evil and Sin

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We are in Holy Week 2015, so it is most appropriate to consider the problem of evil and sin. The sacrificial Passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ was to settle with God the problem of human sin and evil. I have often heard the question, “If there is a God, why does he permit […]

Decreasing the Surplus Population
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Decreasing the Surplus Population

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The Dutch are killing themselves more than ever, but they feel OK about it. In the latest Newsweek cover story, Winston Ross pens a fairly balanced report on the current facts and rhetoric on euthanasia, both in the Netherlands and the rest of the world.  The facts reported in the piece are startling: In 2013, […]

Doctors Must Refuse to Cooperate With Court's Assisted Suicide Decision
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Doctors Must Refuse to Cooperate With Court’s Assisted Suicide Decision

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In his book The Nazi Doctors, author Jay Lifton wrote about the Nazi euthanasia program. He pointed out that it was important to blur and ultimately destroy the boundary between healing and killing to convince German doctors to participate. The imagery of killing in the name of healing was an effective tool in achieving this […]

Okay to Euthanize the Disabled Says Canadian Supreme Court
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Okay to Euthanize the Disabled Says Canadian Supreme Court

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People with disabilities must be killed when they consent under a February 6, 2015, decision by Canada’s highest court striking the Canadian law protecting against assisting suicide. Unlike doctor-prescribed suicide laws in Oregon, Washington and Vermont that theoretically are limited to those with terminal illness, the sweeping ruling allows killing any Canadian who “has a […]

'Volunteering' to Die
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‘Volunteering’ to Die

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I recently read the story of a daughter’s anguished eyewitness account of her mother’s death. It was a death chosen for the mother by her son and oldest daughter, who decided that starvation was the best thing for a beloved mother who had suffered a stroke. It was painful to read this account, and as the writer […]

Erring on the Side of Life
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Erring on the Side of Life

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The history of human knowledge as it relates to the human body is a fascinating and terrible thing. In every age, the ability for physicians and other medical practitioners to effectively treat wounds or combat disease has been constrained by the technology – or lack thereof – available at the time. In the past, people […]

A New Year's Resolution for You
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A New Year’s Resolution for You

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New Year’s Resolutions tend towards the personal: lose weight, take up a hobby, spend more time with the family, get up earlier, read great books, etc. But this new year I beg people to take some time to learn more about bioethics. The stakes are high. Our definitions of life, death, and human dignity are […]

An Open Letter to Brittany Maynard
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An Open Letter to Brittany Maynard

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Dear Brittany Maynard, You don’t know me, and sadly, I don’t know you. I have something to tell you. Why should you care what another voice among millions is saying? Because I have good news. Like so many, your story has crashed into my world, just as cancer crashed into yours. As expected by your […]

Death with Dignity? According to Whom?
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Death with Dignity? According to Whom?

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Over time, terms often seem to enter our conversation without explanation. When this happens we tend to think we understand what the term means and when and how we might use it when talking with others. Case in point: Death with dignity. What does that mean when used by those who are politically motivated to […]

In Defense of the Elders
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In Defense of the Elders

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Action, fantasy, westerns, or any movie including a hero and a villain will usually peek my interest. The Marvel films captured my imagination’s child-like side. The side which wants to believe in the ultimate triumph of good through the feats of a few broken yet resilient individuals who refuse to admit defeat for no other […]

Humanity of the Comatose Denied by Inhumanity of Euthanasia
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Humanity of the Comatose Denied by Inhumanity of Euthanasia

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On March 20, 2004, Pope John Paul II delivered an address to an international congress on “Life-sustaining treatments and vegetative state: Scientific advances and Ethical Dilemmas.” The pope dealt directly with the issue of doctors withholding medical treatments and nutrition and hydration (food and water) from comatose patients. I was happy to see the pontiff […]

When Untruth and Violence are Confronted by Truth and Peace
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When Untruth and Violence are Confronted by Truth and Peace

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It never ceases to amaze me that in the 21st Century there are still people who pose the ridiculous question: “When do you think life begins?” Quite frankly, it does not matter when you or I think life begins: Biology established long ago – before abortion on demand became legal in Canada – that human […]

Be Not Afraid! St. John Paul II’s Key to Building a Culture of Life
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Be Not Afraid! St. John Paul II’s Key to Building a Culture of Life

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The recent canonization of Saint John Paul II offers an impetus to reflect on both his life and his papacy. The Pope’s leadership of the Catholic Church was exemplified by his signature phrase “Be not afraid!” Yet, what exactly was he exhorting the faithful to face without fear? Pope John Paul II first uttered this […]

Kevorkian’s “Pro-Euthanasia Paintings” May Fetch $45k Each
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Kevorkian’s “Pro-Euthanasia Paintings” May Fetch $45k Each

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News that eleven of the late Jack Kevorkian’s paintings are up for sale in Los Angeles—at “upward of $45,000 per canvas”—are a reminder that long before there was Kermit Gosnell, there was Jack Kevorkian. Whereas abortionist Gosnell was angered when the Philadelphia Attorney General called his abortion clinic a “House of Horrors,” Kevorkian (a publicity […]

The Big Lies of Our Age Versus the Truth Found in Jesus Christ
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The Big Lies of Our Age Versus the Truth Found in Jesus Christ

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My father’s generation knew the Holocaust of the Nazis. The holocaust of abortion and soon euthanasia and  assisted suicide hangs over mine. Nazi propaganda Minister Josef Goebbel’s guiding maxim was “If  you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will come to believe it.”[1] The Lie was of Aryan superiority and their […]

Belgium's Terrible Decline
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Belgium’s Terrible Decline

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Joseph Conrad once coined the term “heart of darkness” to describe the atrocities of the Belgian colonial rule in what today is the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nowadays, however, the heart of darkness seems to be closer to home: in Belgium itself. By adopting a law that makes euthanasia available for minors, Belgium has surpassed […]

Faith: The Only Sure Foundation for Human Dignity
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Faith: The Only Sure Foundation for Human Dignity

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Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards recently tweeted out a short video featuring her suggestions of what women really need for Valentine’s Day. Among a litany that included “well woman visits,” “cancer screenings,” and “birth control,” was “safe & legal abortion.” All of this, we’re mockingly informed, is “really radical stuff” which, of course, is a sarcastic quip […]

Get Ready for a Busy 2014 in Bioethics
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Get Ready for a Busy 2014 in Bioethics

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My taskmasters at the CBC never allow me to rest on my laurels. Fresh off several years of stellar prognosticating, I am now forced to answer the question: “But what have you predicted, lately?” Okay, let’s take a look. Oh! Oh my. Please remember, the following predictions are what I see happening. They do not […]

An American Antidote for Belgium Euthanizing Children
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An American Antidote for Belgium Euthanizing Children

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News today that Belgium has approved euthanasia for any age. From BBC: Parliament in Belgium has passed a bill allowing euthanasia for terminally ill children without any age limit, by 86 votes to 44, with 12 abstentions. When, as expected, the bill is signed by the king, Belgium will become the first country in the […]

Bishop Urges Prayer Before Final Vote on Quebec’s Euthanasia Bill
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Bishop Urges Prayer Before Final Vote on Quebec’s Euthanasia Bill

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“Causing the death of an innocent human being is causing the death of our own self,” said Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine in a strongly worded statement yesterday against Bill 52, legislation aiming to legalize euthanasia that is expected to face a final vote this week. Lépine, known for his uncompromising support for life and family […]

My Predictions in Bioethics Right Again!
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My Predictions in Bioethics Right Again!

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Can you believe a year has come and gone since I last told you what would happen, before it happened, in bioethics? Maybe it’s my increasing age, but time is passing too fast! So, how did I do? Not as well as in years past, but still an A-. Let’s take a look: The Affordable […]

Wrong-Headed Ethics and Mayhem
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Wrong-Headed Ethics and Mayhem

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Last year, the Journal of Medical Ethics published an article entitled “After-Birth Abortion: Why Should the Baby Live?” Central to the paper’s thesis is the position that “the moral status of an infant is equivalent to that of a fetus, that is, neither can be considered a ‘person’ in a morally relevant sense.” The paper further poses the preposterous […]

Belgian Senate Passes Bill Permitting Doctors to Euthanize Children
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Belgian Senate Passes Bill Permitting Doctors to Euthanize Children

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In 50-17 vote yesterday, the Belgian Senate approved a bill that would allow euthanasia for children.  The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for final approval before being sent to the King to be signed into law. Most political observers are predicting the passage of the bill. Currently the law in Belgium allows […]