 |
| Wesley Smith |
Assisted suicide is not discussed much at the federal level. But at a recent Senate committee hearing, Senator James Lankford (R., Okla.) asked HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about his thoughts on assisted suicide. Kennedy was unequivocal (starting at minute 3:30):
Lankford: I want to switch to an issue we have not had a lot of time to talk about, and that is assisted suicide. We now have three states, California, Colorado, and Delaware that disability groups are filing against some of the assisted suicide laws because it seems to target those with disabilities and the Americans with Disabilities Act passed in 1990, that act has worked to protect those with disabilities, not incentivize them to take their own life. And so, this is an ongoing conversation on this and I think my question for you today . . . what is HHS doing to protect those with disabilities that may be targeted by those assisted suicide laws?Kennedy is mistaken about euthanasia being the No. 1 cause of death in Canada. It is the fifth, with some 16,000 people being killed by doctors — and rising — each year.
Kennedy: To me, I think those laws are abhorrent. And we just see in Canada today, I think the number one cause of death is assisted suicide, and as you say, it targets people with disabilities and people who are struggling in their lives. And I don’t think we can be a moral society, we can’t be a moral society around the globe if that becomes institutionalized throughout our society. So, I am happy to work with you in whatever way we can.
But he is absolutely correct about the rest. Indeed, we can’t “be a moral society around the globe” if assisted suicide/euthanasia “becomes institutionalized throughout our society.”
Why? Legalizing hastened death devalues intrinsic human dignity (by creating killable castes of people), undermines equality (some suicides will be prevented, others facilitated), while offering utilitarian rewards (organ harvesting, saving health care resources, etc.) to states that allow doctors to facilitate the suicides of — or lethally jab — people who are sick, disabled, elderly, and/or mentally ill.
Good for Lankford for raising the issue and Kennedy for denigrating legalized assisted suicide for what it is: “Abhorrent.”
4 comments:
Glad RFK jr understands this issue
It is absurd to quote the incompetent, delusional, and irresponsible U.S. Secretary of Unhealth as if his views on anything will influence thinking people to understand the very real threat posed by Euthanasia and Medical Assisted Suicide. Among the many things it is destroying, this group of MAGA neo-fascists is blowing up the already inadequate social programs as well as the already discriminatory health care system we have in this country, endangering the lives of the vulnerable more than ever before. The MAGAs and their idol have made clear their views of the disabled and elderly and how to deal with us. Their cynical bloviating against MAS for political points among potential MAGA voters has no basis in the reality of the corrupt, money grabbing world of the MAGA politicians. People are literally dying daily and many more will follow under this regime. And, as we have seen in Canada, the destruction of social services and the normalization of euthanasia as some perverted form of “health care” means that increasing numbers of our population will “choose” Medical Assisted Suicide for lack of other options.
Come on, people! MAS and Euthanasia are not isolated issues. It’s meaningless to talk about how bad they are without looking at their political and social context- something that opponents of these discriminatory practices are largely- and embarrassingly- failing to do.
Joan Cavanagh
Progressives Against Medical Assisted Suicide
Yeah, I guess any euthanasia opposition is a good thing-sort of like it’s always good to have a a fire extinguisher handy if there’s a fire-but Secretary Kennedy did the euthanasia prevention movement and disabled people a huge disservice by making that statement while the administration he serves does catastrophic damage to the disability inclusion infrastructure of the USA.
May I offer caution “… for he that is not against you is for you.”
Luke 9:49
Post a Comment