Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition
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| Luc Van Gorp |
Van Gorp commented on the increasing financial pressure related to Belgium's aging population and healthcare funding. He stated:
"No matter how much you end up investing, it will still not be enough"A Times of London article reported that Van Gorp's response is to promote euthanasia for those who are "tired of living":
Belgium’s euthanasia laws should cover elderly people who are “tired of life” or who feel they are a burden on the public purse, a health insurance chief has urged. Luc Van Gorp, 57, the president of the CM health fund, a Christian mutual insurance provider, said that the number of Belgians over 80 would double to 1.2 million by 2050.
“Many elderly people are tired of life. Why would you necessarily want to prolong such a life? Those people don’t want that themselves, and when it comes to budgets: it only costs the government money,” he told the Nieuwsblad newspaper. “We must remove the stigma.”Essentially Van Gorp is advocating for euthanasia for those who "tired of living."
The Belga News reported:
Van Gorp may think his ideology is "progressive" but in reality it is related to the eugenic ideology that created the German T-4 euthanasia program that killed approximately 300,000 people during the Second World War based on a concept that they were "useless eaters."
That is why he is advocating "a radically different approach". He said we should not be asking "how long can I live", but "how long can I live a quality life" and advocates a gentler form of euthanasia for people who feel their lives are complete. Suicide, says Van Gorp, is too negative a term. "I would rather call it giving back life."Be careful for what you wish for. Belgium may need to undergo health care reform but Belgium's euthanasia is arguably the most permissive killing law in the world.
Van Gorp may think his ideology is "progressive" but in reality it is related to the eugenic ideology that created the German T-4 euthanasia program that killed approximately 300,000 people during the Second World War based on a concept that they were "useless eaters."
Canada is also experiencing financial pressure in funding healthcare. But the concept that someone who is elderly should "choose" do die isn't actually about a "choice" but about an obligation to get out of the way and die. History is eerily beginning to repeat itself.
1 comment:
Interesting that this man could state, or even suggest, that there is 'stigma' attached to costing the health care system money. Does this mean that anybody who needs health care is being selfish and disrespectful of society? This kind of thing absolutely terrifies me. Wonder what the do-gooders will think when it is their turn to stop being a supposed 'drain' on the Public Purse. Put their hand up to die, or advocate for better LIVING care and a more compassionate society which is responsive to their needs?
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