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Lawmakers Confirm House Health Care Bill Promotes Euthanasia Among Elderly
LifeNews ^ | July 24, 2009 | Steven Ertelt

Posted on 07/25/2009 6:04:09 AM PDT by NYer

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Two Republican leaders in the House of Representatives are confirming reports that the health care restructuring bill the House is currently considering promotes euthanasia. A leading patients rights advocate is worried about the effects of the legislation.

Betsy McCaughey, the former New York lieutenant government who is now a patient's rights advocate, notes that the government-run health care plan would require "end of life" counseling for seniors.

The counseling, she says, would be focused on telling seniors how to end their lives sooner.

In a statement sent to LifeNews.com House Republican Leader John Boehner Republican Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter confirm those fears.

"Section 1233 of the House-drafted legislation encourages health care providers to provide their Medicare patients with counseling on ‘the use of artificially administered nutrition and hydration’ and other end of life treatments,'" the pair say.

That section "may place seniors in situations where they feel pressured to sign end of life directives they would not otherwise sign."

"This provision may start us down a treacherous path toward government-encouraged euthanasia if enacted into law. At a minimum this legislative language deserves a full and open public debate – the sort of debate that is impossible to have under the politically-driven deadlines Democratic leaders have arbitrarily set for enactment of a health care bill," they state.

The members of Congress call the section a throwback to 1977 when the old Department of Health Education and Welfare proposed federal promotion of living wills for cost-savings purposes described as "enormous."

At that time, the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago decried this effort by saying, "'The message is clear: government can save money by encouraging old people to die a little sooner than they otherwise would. Instead of being regarded with reverence, and cherished, human life is subject in this view to a utilitarian cost-benefit calculus and can be sacrificed to serve fiscal policy and the sacred imperative of trimming a budget."

Boehner and McCotter are especially concerned about the provision given that Oregon and Washington have legalized assisted suicide and Montana has given conditional approval depending on the outcome of a state Supreme Court decision.

“With three states having legalized physician-assisted suicide, this provision could create a slippery slope for a more permissive environment for euthanasia, mercy-killing and physician-assisted suicide because it does not clearly exclude counseling about the supposed benefits of killing oneself," they say.

"Health care reform that fails to protect the sanctity and dignity of all human life is not reform at all," the conclude.

In section 1233 of the tri-committee health care bill, a government-run "Advance Care Planning Consultation" is created.

McCaughey, in an interview with former presidential candidate Fred Thompson on his radio show warned people to "protect their parents" from the measure and said the consultation is essentially an attempt to kill off elderly Americans.

"One of the most shocking things is page 425, where the Congress would make it mandatory absolutely that every five years people in Medicare have a required counseling session," she said. "They will tell [them] how to end their life sooner.

The bill calls for the recommendation of "palliative care and hospice" in the mandatory counseling sessions, which is pain relief as patients die.

The House bill requires "an explanation by the practitioner of the continuum of end-of-life services and supports available, including palliative care and hospice, and benefits for such services and supports that are available under this title."

The measure also recommends a discussion on "the use of artificially administered nutrition and hydration," which suggests that elderly patients could be advised not to receive it, which would hasten death.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bhohealthcare; elderly; euthanasia; mccaughey; prolife
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To: The Working Man
I can also foresee more encouragement to take up dangerous lifestyles so as to self-terminate even earlier. And I just don’t mean just sexual lifestyles, I also mean thrill seekers, more drug usage, (great for Overdose deaths there), and bunch more that don’t come to mind right away.

We will come full circle ... smoking will be encouraged, as will obesity, no seat belts in cars, no helmets for motorcycles, etc. There was an old Woodie Allen movie (can't remember the name) where the world finally discovered that french fries and ice cream were good for you. We laughed at the movie back then, never thinking that such notions would ever come to pass.

Up is down, down is up, right is wrong, wrong is right. What a world we're in!

41 posted on 07/25/2009 10:09:44 AM PDT by RightField (A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.)
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To: NYer
The tragic irony in this is that the bill funds abortion on demand, essentially destroying the tax base needed to fund the health care bill!

The ultimate Law of Unintended Consequences.

42 posted on 07/25/2009 10:17:33 AM PDT by RightField (A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.)
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To: NYer
Two Republican leaders in the House ... are confirming .. that the health care .. bill the House is currently considering promotes euthanasia. .. The government-run health care plan would require "end of life" counseling for seniors. ..House Republican Leader John Boehner ... confirm those fears. .. "Section 1233 ... "may place seniors in situations where they feel pressured to sign end of life directives they would not otherwise sign."

Excuse my language but Democrats are a bunch of sick sons-of-bit_hes!

They're mentally deranged NAZI eugenicists pretending to be civilized people. Every one of them should be locked up in mental asylums, not sitting in the US Congress writing *Helthcare* which will be nothing but mandatory death sentences for 'the unworthy'.

'Come On Grandmas, Let's Hurry.'

'It's Time For Your Showers.'
If and/or when they come for me, my wife, or family -- they BETTER bring an Army.
As I'll give them some 'end of life counseling' -- HOT lead!
43 posted on 07/25/2009 10:33:33 AM PDT by Condor51 (The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits)
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To: Condor51
Excuse my language but Democrats are a bunch of sick sons-of-bit_hes!

The Grim Reaper awaits us all if the democrats get their way:


44 posted on 07/25/2009 11:08:03 AM PDT by Reaganwuzthebest
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To: NYer
" The tragic irony in this is that the bill funds abortion on demand, essentially destroying the tax base needed to fund the health care bill! With insufficient funds, it is now incumbent on society to eliminate the feeble and elderly."

Yep. As you might imagine, old geezers like me arein their sights. I just posted a blogpost to my Half-Baked Sourdough page yesterday on this very topic, using this link.

45 posted on 07/25/2009 11:10:09 AM PDT by redhead (You don't have to be eaten by a bear to know he WILL eat you...Check the Half-Baked Sourdough!)
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To: NYer

Thanks- Zdziarski deserves a medal for wading through all that verbiage.


46 posted on 07/25/2009 2:01:29 PM PDT by backhoe (All across America, the Lights are going out...)
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To: NYer
Pinged from Terri Dailies


47 posted on 07/25/2009 2:16:32 PM PDT by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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To: NYer

ping


48 posted on 07/25/2009 2:36:07 PM PDT by tall_tex
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To: All; NYer; wagglebee; BykrBayb; floriduh voter; xzins; Lesforlife; Dante3

Please consider emailing a talk show host(s), even a local one, to have Betsy McCaughey on their radio show. That’s what I did, and a talk show host had her on his show a few days later, and he thanked me for helping him.

If the talk show host needs her email, send me a PM and I’ll give it to you.


49 posted on 07/25/2009 10:45:42 PM PDT by Sun (Pray that God sends us good leaders. Please say a prayer now.)
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To: Sun
Who here thinks that 65 is "the elderly"? Anyone who has relatives at The Villages or Sun City, would beg to differ. They are more active than boomers: swimming, dancing, golfing, shopping, tennis...

Send Barack Obama for a townhall meeting at The Villages. See how that goes. LOL This should be hammered home to Senator Bill Nelson. He'd be killing his constituents if he votes for Obamacare.

50 posted on 07/28/2009 9:43:03 AM PDT by floriduh voter (Obama's Health Care Plan Puts the "you" in euthanasia.)
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To: backhoe

Rush on subject now. Obama answering AARP members this afternoon. “Live audience” (probably pre-selected questions). AARP is for Obamacare. It is suicidal to be for Obamacare.


51 posted on 07/28/2009 9:45:56 AM PDT by floriduh voter (Obama's Health Care Plan Puts the "you" in euthanasia.)
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To: floriduh voter

I just started this thread on senior rationing:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2303021/posts


52 posted on 07/28/2009 2:33:52 PM PDT by Sun (Pray that God sends us good leaders. Please say a prayer now.)
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To: NYer

An image of pre-WWII Germany.


53 posted on 07/28/2009 2:36:08 PM PDT by Ladysmith (I am not a number! I am a free man! I am Jim Thompson!!)
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To: RightField

Re: “There was an old Woodie Allen movie (can’t remember the name) where the world finally discovered that french fries and ice cream were good for you. We laughed at the movie back then................”

*********

The Woody Allen movie you referred to is “Sleeper.”


54 posted on 07/28/2009 2:42:36 PM PDT by CaliforniaCon
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To: floriduh voter
Who here thinks that 65 is "the elderly"?

Mr. RightField turned 65 two days ago. He definitely is not elderly. He does substitute teaching at a couple of local high schools, and without exception, other teachers think he's around 50. They are flabbergasted to know how old he actually is. I'd describe him as active and frisky. hehe

55 posted on 07/28/2009 2:54:55 PM PDT by RightField (A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.)
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To: Reagan69

AARp supports the house Bill, Unbelievable.
AARP members are sending in their torn up membership cards!


56 posted on 08/03/2009 5:36:01 AM PDT by chatham
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To: Reagan69

AARp supports the house Bill, Unbelievable.
AARP members are sending in their torn up membership cards!


57 posted on 08/03/2009 5:40:11 AM PDT by chatham
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