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Teens need right to 'medically assisted suicide'
telegraph ^ | 26/03/2008 | By Bruno Waterfield in Brussels

Posted on 03/28/2008 5:25:10 PM PDT by Grzegorz 246

Teenagers should be given the right to medically assisted suicide and the parents of terminally ill younger children should be able to choose euthanasia under proposals from members of Belgium's coalition government.

The plans to extend rules allowing doctors to perform euthanasia on terminally ill people suffering "constant and unbearable physical or psychological pain" comes amid heated Belgian debate on the issue.

Under existing Belgian laws, in place since 2002, patients, other than newborn babies, must be over 18 to qualify for assisted suicide, a situation that Bart Tommelein, leader of Belgium Liberals, wants changed.

Mr Tommelein, whose party is a key member of Belgium's coalition government, has pledged to bring forward new legislative proposals extending euthanasia to children and old people suffering from such severe dementia that they are unable to choose for themselves.

"We will seek, as Liberals, parliamentary majorities," Mr Tommelein said.

The ethical debate will mean another headache for Belgium's new Prime Minister Yves Leterme and his fragile government, which took power last week after a nine-month political crisis.

Cardinal Danneels, Belgium's Catholic Cardinal, used his Easter sermon to start a polarised national debate on euthanasia.

"Avoiding suffering is no act of bravery," he said. "Our society seems unable to cope with death and suffering."

The Cardinal has reacted to Belgian media "glorification" of the "brave" euthanasia least week of Hugo Claus, a Flemish writer suffering from Alzheimers disease.

There are more than 39 cases of euthanasia declared by doctors in Belgium every month, but the true figure is thought to be double that.

Euthanasia is currently permitted on infants and more than half of the Belgian babies who die before they are 12 months old have been killed by deliberate medical intervention.

In 16 per cent of cases parental consent was not considered.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: belgium; choosedeath; cultureofdeath; europe; euthanasia; infanticide; moralabsolutes; posttermabortion; prolife; qualityoflife; suicide; teens
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To: 3catsanadog

You think a 16 year old can make that decision wisely?


41 posted on 03/28/2008 9:30:29 PM PDT by MarMema (kosovo will always be Serbian)
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To: MarMema

What about 6 month old ? This is already legal.


42 posted on 03/29/2008 3:59:00 AM PDT by Grzegorz 246
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To: Grzegorz 246; wagglebee; TheSarce
Pinged from Terri Dailies

8mm


43 posted on 03/29/2008 4:28:11 AM PDT by 8mmMauser (Jezu ufam tobie...Jesus I trust in Thee)
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To: AreaMan

Wow. Just wow at that propaganda you found and posted.


44 posted on 03/29/2008 4:39:26 AM PDT by Canedawg (No Che Hussein NObama, and the Hildebeast, too)
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To: rarestia; Grzegorz 246

All human problems can be eliminated by human extinction.

Brilliant method of responding to the human condition. A kind of idiot arithmetic, consisting solely of subtraction.


45 posted on 03/29/2008 5:32:59 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (Pleased to be of service.)
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To: FlingWingFlyer
"I’d like to see all fetuses have a right to be born and then, once they are old enough, let them decide if they would like to continue living."

Old enough?

9?

19?

90?

Variable, depending on assessment by the State Board of Quality Control and Compassionate Niceness?

46 posted on 03/29/2008 5:36:26 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (Pleased to be of service.)
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To: edcoil
"Just a guess here but God has to be done with Europe."

Not quite yet. Pope Benedict has a couple of cards up his sleeve.

47 posted on 03/29/2008 5:41:40 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (He's XVI ~~ He's beautiful ~~ And he's mine.)
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To: Mrs. Don-o
All human problems can be eliminated by human extinction.

If you believe that all human problems can be eliminated by pharmaceuticals, then you're essentially shoring up your own argument.

Have you ever seen someone who's so whacked out on Xanax that they can barely enunciate their words and have just enough energy to get from their bed to the toilet and back? I have a friend who's a "victim" of anxiety, and he's popping 3 - 5 Xanax a day. And his damn doctor continues to fill his scripts! 90 pills for a 30 day period... are you serious? You don't think that's excessive?

I'm not a proponent of his demise, but seriously... what sort of life is that to live? I tried to drag him out of the house to the gym with me, kayaking, bike rides on local trails, even GeoCaching... he just wanted to go home halfway through the experience for one reason or another.

As long as the medical establishment looks at curing the maladies of man with a pill as the answer, we're not getting any better as a society. I, too, suffer from anxiety, but I've learned that exercise, proper diet, a little spirituality and good, old fashioned positive thoughts keep me on even keel without the help of Big Pharma.

Don't mistake my commentary for idiot arithmetic. These people have to want to get better. Their want to die is their own problem. We shouldn't have to legislate for them to be allowed to off themselves, but we should bring more scientific scrutiny to an industry that may very well be turning the minds of these people into suicidal miasmas.

48 posted on 03/29/2008 5:44:22 AM PDT by rarestia ("One man with a gun can control 100 without one." - Lenin / MOLWN LABE!)
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To: utherdoul
"If I was costing a hundred grand a year to keep alive I’d definitely off myself."

But why would you "off" yourself?

Why wouldn't you just stop spending the hundred grand, and get youself into a simple decent place where you can live -- clean, fed, clothed, sheltered --- and a few chosen kin or dear ones can sit by, pray, open beers and trade wisecracks, until your well-and-truly natural death comes and claims you?

That would be the better option. Take my word for it.

49 posted on 03/29/2008 6:02:32 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (My contribution to reality-based argument.)
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To: 3catsanadog
Well, I agree with that part about "not burdening the medicdal profession."
50 posted on 03/29/2008 6:08:37 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (My contribution to reality-based argument.)
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To: rarestia
" If you believe that all human problems can be eliminated by pharmaceuticals,"

Not at all. (????) I've never said that, never written it, never implied it, and never believed it.

I appreciate your concern about kids whacked out of Xanax.

"...exercise, proper diet, a little spirituality and good, old fashioned positive thoughts keep me on even keel without the help of Big Pharma."

Amen to that.

51 posted on 03/29/2008 6:13:13 AM PDT by Mrs. Don-o (My contribution to reality-based argument.)
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To: Little Ray

With this type of Liberal, socialist thinking in Europe it sure does explain how the Nazis came to power and never left. Couple the Libs here with half the sheople getting handouts and having no knowledge of history....God help US.


52 posted on 03/29/2008 6:21:50 AM PDT by socialismisinsidious ( The socialist income tax system turns US citizens into beggars or quitters!)
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To: AreaMan
"This person suffering from hereditary defects costs the community 60,000 Reichsmark during his lifetime. Fellow Germans, that is your money, too."

When the government pays for your health care then guess who decides if you should receive health care...
53 posted on 03/29/2008 6:26:06 AM PDT by socialismisinsidious ( The socialist income tax system turns US citizens into beggars or quitters!)
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To: Mrs. Don-o
I've never said that, never written it, never implied it, and never believed it.

You're right. My apologies. I got a little heated in this thread. Thank you for being understanding.

54 posted on 03/29/2008 3:54:35 PM PDT by rarestia ("One man with a gun can control 100 without one." - Lenin / MOLWN LABE!)
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To: MarMema
No, absolutely not.

My point is that I see no reason if a person is wanting to die, why they need to involve others to "assist" them.

The law in Oregon where, I believe, there is legally assisted suicide states that the person must be alert, oriented and know exactly what he or she wants. They must be physically capable of taking the suicide concoction prepared by others by themselves.

So why can't they just swallow a bunch of pills on their own?

To me, assisted suicide is just a way for the person who wants to die to spread the responsibility around. Maybe it alleviates some of their own guilt. I don't know.

I'm not making light of suicide. I've been in depths of hopelessness myself where it crossed my mind. Only my belief in God and faith in Him and my love for my family kept me from going forward in that regard.

55 posted on 03/31/2008 1:44:42 PM PDT by 3catsanadog (Vote for the person at the primaries; vote for the party at the election.)
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