Pope Francis to Belgian Catholics: Stop Offering Euthanasia

Pope Francis to Belgian Catholics: Stop Offering Euthanasia Sept 17, 2017 20:08:05 GMT

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Post by rachelcarson1953 on Sept 17, 2017 20:08:05 GMT

Sept 17, 2017 19:14:44 GMT @miccee said:

Sept 17, 2017 14:26:01 GMT CoolJGS☺ said:

Well, it's an important distinction both ways. The government has to address just about all aspects of life including religion and ethics.

However, government legalizing it creates a legal ethical standard it has no business in implementing since it obligates others to accept it when there is no logical reason for them to do so when the country has always been unable to stop suicides from happening.

The danger in legalizing it is that if there isn't a doctor willing to kill someone, then how does that person wind up committing suicide? Who pays for it? At what point in time do are doctors and hospital mandated to engage in euthanasia?

Even if one feels there is a government responsibility, when the government allows something, it is only a matter of time when someone whines that they need to make access a priority.

It's est to just let things be the way they always have been which is people have been killing themselves without bureaucracy for centuries. Don't fix what ain't broke.

In a progressive liberal society which values autonomy; the government ought to take a hands-off approach with respect to personal decisions that do not affect other people. That's kind of what the gay marriage controversy was about as well.

Legalising the right to die doesn't force people to like the decision; it simply denies them the power to forcefully impose their religion and/or philosophy on other people who do not share that outlook.

I would consider it to be very unlikely that there would be absolutely no doctor willing to write the prescription. If that did turn out to be the case, then I suppose it would end up being somewhat like the abortion issue wherein the doctor would be expected to keep their religious beliefs compartmentalised to their private life and not let it interfere with their job. But I think that it would be unlikely for it to come to that.

People have been killing themselves, and mostly failing (25 failed suicides to 1 successful suicide...and that's in the US, where people have access to guns) for centuries. And when they do fail, they can sometimes end up severely disabled for it. And for those who are already severely disabled to the extent that they can't even wipe their own nose much less follow through with a suicide plan; then the law as it stands effectively traps them in a situation that they find unbearable until they die of natural causes. There's no humane justification for such treatment.

^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^