Gordon Friesen on the euphemistic language of killing.

The following article is a response to the article by David Albert Jones: The Euphemistic Language of killing (Link).

Gordon Friesen

By Gordon Friesen

President, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

I agree 100% with calling a spade a spade. And yes, in public debate we are already at the point where using the word suicide is condemned to the point where speakers before government reviews, or the writers of serious articles will be entirely discounted for using it. Murder, is just impossible to use. However, we know the truth. And by speaking to the people, we may, I believe, eventually turn the tide on this. In the end, politicians and academics are paid by the people. They are not paid to insult and belittle our convictions.

We have their food bags in our hands.

That said, in academic debate, I think we should push this distinction of Lester's "medical killing", (Link read comments) because it is separate from a libertarian "right to die". Hard core right to die activists believe that anybody should be allowed to choose to die, for any reason, at any time.

I don't agree with that, of course, but (as we are learning in Canada) medical killing is even more pernicious, because the pretense in that case is that people suffering from medical conditions have a special, reasonable, motivation to die. It therefore becomes normal to suggest that such people die. To believe that they SHOULD die. And as we see in Canada, a medical system tooling up to do just that as efficiently as possible.

In fact, the basic right to die folks believe that mental competence is absolutely necessary to the proper exercise of such a right, but the medical killing folks are setting their sights on the incapable as well.

So let us agree among ourselves that this is homicide, and let us combat it in the most articulate way we can, in language that ordinary people understand, and also, at the government and academic level, using whatever terms we must (in order to get through the door).

The main thing is to continue our work of opposition. Bring ordinary people on board. Democratically move the goal posts on what our would-be rulers can get away with in suppressing ordinary language, ordinary feeling, and common sense.

Thank you for reminding us of that.