Paranoia Becomes Reality Concerning Euthanasia

When some would say that the issue of euthanasia would become a slippery slope, many thought we were paranoid. The thought of "mercy killings" escalating into the termination of innocents considered "undesirable" was outrageous. Oh really....

This is a story from AP today (12/01/2004)

Amsterdam, Netherlands-A hospital in the Netherlands-the first nation to permit euthanasia-recently proposed guidelines for mercy killings of terminally ill newborns, and then made a startling revelation: It has already begun carry out such procedures, which include administering a lethal dose of sedatives.The announcement by the Groningen Academic Hospital came amid a growing discussion in Holland on whether to legalize euthanasia on people incapable of deciding for themselves whether they want to end their lives-a prospect viewed with horror by euthanasia opponents.Three years ago, the Dutch parliament made it legal for doctors to inject a sedative and a lethal dose of muscle relaxant at the request of adult patients suffering great pain with not hope of relief.The Groningen Protocol, as the hospital's guidelines have come to be known, says euthanasia is acceptable when the child's medical team and independent doctors agree the pain cannot be eased and there is no prospect for improvement, and when parents think it's best.The hospital revealed it carried out four such mercy killings in 2003, and reported all cases to government prosecutors. There have been no legal proceedings against the hospital or the doctors.Roman Catholic organizations and the Vatican have reacted with outrage to the announcement, and U.S. euthanasia opponents contend the proposal shows the Dutch have lost their moral compass."The slippery slope in the Netherlands has descended into a vertical cliff," said Wesley J. Smith, a prominent California-based critic, in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

I have long heard of the secularization of Europe and an abandonment of Chrisitan ideals, but I am lead to question whether or not they are in fact becoming monsters. The culture of death we currently live in is warping and perverting basic ethics, and so many are falling into the trap of believing that only "productive" lives possess dignity, quality, or value. And to make this decision for those who cannot speak for themselves is purely unfathomable to me.

OK, Lord, you can come back and get us all now! I'm not sure how much worse it can get.

"A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more." Matthew 2:18