Like father, like son. Pierre Trudeau, rumoured to be a "good Catholic", liberalized ab*tion laws in Canada and now his son, Justin Trudeau, rather less rumoured to be a "good Catholic," but nevertheless on the books as an R.C., wants to bring in euthanasia.
One day Canadians, most of whom have no access to palliative care, will find themselves having to choose between suffering agonizing natural deaths and being murdered. Perhaps the doctors will hand the desperate the button, so--at the weakest, most helpless, most hopeless moment of their lives-- Canadians commit suicide instead. Those will be our choices: agony, murder or suicide.
Catholic hospitals which refuse to go along with legal murder will be shut. After all, they "receive government funding." The centuries-old Catholic ministry to the sick will end.
Catholic medical students who refuse to go along with legal murder will not be able to graduate. After all, they " receive government funding", too. There will no longer be Catholic doctors.
Never mind that the government is not some hard-working philanthropist; "government funding" is no more that the tax dollars taken from Canadians--including the Catholics, the doctors, the medical students and the future murder/suicide victims.
The risk to palliative care in a socialized system of medicine in which murder is an option seems very real to someone who tried--and failed--to find treatment for her age-related infertility that was not IVF. Having decided IVF was the solution to end all infertility solutions, the NHS in Scotland offers no other solution to those who object on moral grounds to IVF. You can accept childlessness now, or you can commit IVF. Sometimes "choice" means NO OTHER CHOICES than the one the government wants you to pick. And adequate palliative care is more expensive than a lethal injection, isn't it?
This is all extremely horrible. Fortunately Toronto's Cardinal Archbishop Thomas Collins has once more stepped up to the plate and written a letter that needed to be written. It was read (or was supposed to be read) from every pulpit in the Archdiocese at every Sunday mass yesterday. Here is is.
Naturally, murdering the sick (the underage, and the depressed) is completely morally repugnant. But here's a compromise. Let's not drag innocent doctors and nurses into this. To begin with, it's a bad idea to mix life-giving and death-dealing, and it won't be pretty when Canadians find themselves wondering how many people their GPs have killed. No, no. Either bring back the public hangman, who need now only push a button or, better yet, let Justin do it himself.
Good post. And a good letter from yr bishop, outlining what the Canadian liberals plan to impose.
ReplyDeleteBut +Collins letter is seriously deficient in one aspect - he says nothing of what response Catholics should make, other than general blather about acting like Jesus.
Will he and the Canadian church:
1) close all Catholic hospitals, hospices, etc?
2) keep them open, but carry out euthanasia?
3) keep them open without state funding?
Obviously, I favour 3), but that would require a massive fundraising push (on an ongoing basis).
Sadly, I suspect the bishops will just roll over and close the Catholics institutions. Or will the Boards of those hospitals reject their faith as so many Catholic uni's have and adopt option 2)?
Lord have mercy on Canada!
SB.
I have pondered for some time now that when I die, it is very likely it'll be through involuntary euthanasia.
ReplyDeleteDo you mean cos' most of us will be 'retired from life' thru euthanasia Julia? Or that you personally are more likely than the rest of us to be lined up for a jab? ;)
ReplyDeleteIf the latter, you clearly must have a winning personality to charm the Dr's Death so... ;) Me, I plan on going bush if the euthanasia chums come looking for me in my later years; and you've got even more outback to vanosh in than we have. D will have to go bush in the Yukon...
Sorry, I should be taking this more seriously - they are trying to legalise it here too.
SB.
The former, but I guess the latter is possible.
ReplyDeleteThere are lobby groups in Australia that push for euthanasia in fits and starts, but their main concern and the main focus of their attention is that g@y m@rri@ge is not yet legal here, and they want that to change by the end of the year.
Hi Seraphic - I've sent you an email asking if we could republish this on Quadrapheme. Would that be ok? EW
ReplyDeleteYes, of course! Sorry I didn't answer. I was on the red-eye from Toronto. Home now.
ReplyDelete