This WEB log considers issues involving assisted suicide/euthanasia, bioethics, human cloning, biotechnology, and the dangers of animal rights/liberation. My views expressed here, as in my books and other writings, reflect my understanding that the philosophy of human exceptionalism is the bedrock of universal human rights. Or, to put it another way: human life matters. (The opinions expressed here are my own and not necessarily those of any organization with which I am affiliated.)
I will be in the UK for the next week speaking and meeting people about the euthanasia threat over there and sundry other bioethical issues. Probably won't get to Blog much. But you never know.
I am interested in comments on the Hippocratic Oath controversy. Please feel free to weigh in.
Thanks to all who visit Secondhand Smoke.
posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 5:16 PM
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4 Comments:
Things seem much worse in the UK than here....
In some ways, yes. But in other ways, no. We have legal assisted suicide in Oregon, futile care is being imposed in Texas and elsewhere, Terri Schiavo is dead, etc.
Something similar to futile care was signed into law when Bush was governor. He made it possible for doctors to override the wishes of parents and take people off life support.
Schiavo may be dead, but the courts have decided that her wishes were to be removed. The majority of the public also thought that she should have been allowed to die. I wonder how many 'pro-life' Republicans would have paid higher taxes to keep people like her 'alive'. Maybe her mental state (or lack of it) reminded them very much of themselves.
Not only that, but now that she has passed on, more resources and personnel can be used helping people who can recover, rather than keeping 1/2 a brain with no conscious activity alive as a political football.
Oregon is also the only state where people truly own their own lives in America.
Something similar to futile care was signed into law when Bush was governor. He made it possible for doctors to override the wishes of parents and take people off life support.
Schiavo may be dead, but the courts have decided that her wishes were to be removed. The majority of the public also thought that she should have been allowed to die. I wonder how many 'pro-life' Republicans would have paid higher taxes to keep people like her 'alive'. Maybe her mental state (or lack of it) reminded them very much of themselves.
Not only that, but now that she has passed on, more resources and personnel can be used helping people who can recover, rather than keeping 1/2 a brain with no conscious activity alive as a political football.
Oregon is also the only state where people truly own their own lives in America.
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