Euthanasia is
sweeping America
By
Anthony Moreno, age 15March 21, 2005
An
epidemic is sweeping America. An epidemic which puts the government in
the position of supporting and advocating suicide. A disease which will
infect the morals and values in the medical world, until they no longer
have any effect. A mindset which will lead America on paths to immoral
places where she never intended to go. Euthanasia is sweeping America.In this speech I will take an in depth look at the reality of
euthanasia. I will be dealing specifically with voluntary euthanasia
because that practice is generally more inherent than involuntary
euthanasia in America today. I will argue four points under voluntary
euthanasia. I will do this while analyzing a specific act proposed to
the California legislature which may be considered a model voluntary
euthanasia practice. But first let me define voluntary euthanasia.AB 654 will aid us in our definition of voluntary euthanasia. The bill
was introduced to the California legislature by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine
and Assembly woman Patty Berg in order to allow physician-assisted
suicide. Physician-assisted suicide as defined under the bill is the
right to request lethal drugs by the terminally-ill who have only
six-months to live. The so-called helpless patients then self-administer
the drugs with the intent to end their lives. Physician-assisted suicide
is more commonly known as doctor-assisted suicide or voluntary
euthanasia.The first problem with voluntary euthanasia is that it is biblically
wrong. Psalm 71:9 states, Do not cast me off when I am old, do not
forsake me when my strength is gone, and Proverbs 24:11, Rescue those
being led away to death, hold back those staggering towards slaughter.
Both of these state that we should do the opposite of voluntary
euthanasia. Physician-assisted suicide will cast off the old, it will
forsake those whose strength is failing. It will not rescue those being
led away to death, it will not hold back those staggering towards
slaughter. Voluntary Euthanasia goes directly against the will of God.On April 12, I had the opportunity to sit in on the judicial committee
hearing on AB 654. One argument that the supporters of AB 654 repeatedly
referred to astounded me. They pointed out examples of people in the
depression of despair that jumped off buildings or shot themselves in
the head; and asserted how much more humane it would be if these
people had a pill to take. How they had to resort to a cruel death
because there wasnt an easier way to get out of their misery. But I
must ask how many of these people had only six months to live? How many
were terminally-ill? How many would have qualified for the pill had it
been available? Virtually every example that these legislators were
referring to were instances of suicide based on depression or despair.
This proves that the real intent of the bill proposed, is not to give
choices to the elderly, but to provide an easier way to commit suicide.
A statistic from Oregon informs us that a majority of people applying
for the life-ending pill arent terminally ill, but want the pill to
relieve depression. Voluntary euthanasia is not death with dignity nor
is it a compassionate choice for the elderly, it is government
supported, government advocated suicide.The third objection to voluntary euthanasia and AB 654 is that it
violates the morals and values in the medical world. The Hippocratic
Oath was written in 400 BC by Hippocrates, a Greek physician. The oath
stands as the foundation for morals and values in the medical world.
Virtually every graduating physician today takes the Hippocratic Oath
upon graduation form medical school. On the morality of doctor-assisted
suicide it is very clear. It says
I will neither give a deadly drug to anyone who asks for it, nor will I
make a suggestion to such an effect. I will not use the knife, not even
on sufferers of stone.This oath confirms that physician-assisted suicide breaches the very
foundation for morals and values in the medical world. The code, which
doctors are obligated to uphold, is violated by doctor-assisted suicide,
and AB 654. This explains why the American Medical Association and the
Californian Medical Association both oppose AB 654. Doctors do not want
to break the oath that they swore to uphold. Doctors do not want to have
to make life or death decisions, because they know they are not
infallible. They do not want to throw all morals to the side and open up
the floodgates to all types of other immoral practices. Doctors dont
support AB 654 because it violates morals in the medical profession.The final point under voluntary euthanasia is the mindset which comes
with doctor-assisted suicide. The current mindset of doctors is to heal
their patients. They have the goal to fight to the end for the life of
their patient. They value that persons life. But if AB 654 is allowed,
doctors will be put in a mindset which implies to only help patients if
they measure up to a certain standard. Once their patient hits a certain
point of no return, there is no hope; their only comfort is in a pain
free controlled death. No hope of life. Life is so devalued that it no
longer deserves to be fought for until the end. This mentality that once
life hits a certain point, it is a hopeless situation and should be
brought to an end immediately sets the medical world in the pathway that
leads to all types of immoralities, one of them being eugenics.Eugenics is the selective breeding of humans in order to produce a
superior race. It is based on the belief that life should be determined
by its instrumental value, not its inherent value. In effect, if someone
has a certain characteristic which is abnormal or unworthy that
person no longer deserves to live. When we combine the immoral
atmosphere of physician-assisted suicide, and the mindset that life has
no value; a breeding ground for eugenics is created.History has proven this flow, from voluntary euthanasia to eugenics
throughout history with two examples immediately coming to mind.The first example is Nazi Germany. In October of 1939, Adolph Hitler
issued the Aktion T-4, which enable the elimination of life unworthy of
life. At first the old and aching were killed, a normal doctor-assisted
suicide practice. But it soon developed into the horrid mercy killings
in which 200,000 people deemed in painful situations were brutally
murdered. The euthanasia program in fact started the Nazi empire down
the road to the 6 million deaths of the Jewish Holocaust. As this
example proves, the end result of voluntary euthanasia is a eugenics
program.The second example is that of the modern day Netherlands. In 2002, the
Netherlands became the first modern civilization to legalize
doctor-assisted suicide. According to Karl Gunning, founder and
president of World Federation of Doctors Who Respect Life, there are
about 26,000 cases of euthanasia each year in the Netherlands, making up
20% of the entire death toll for the country. 14,961 of these deaths are
involuntary, or almost 60% of the all the euthanasia procedures are
involuntary. 12% percent of all the people in this modern day society
die without the knowledge or consent given to the doctor who kills them.
Furthermore, 72% of the doctors lie about voluntary euthanasia being the
real cause of death and falsify the death certificates as normal or
natural causes of death.In the Netherlands, doctors have a new strategy that that arose from the
practice of euthanasia. Doctors are now categorizing infants in 3
groups: 1) normal newborns, 2) babies who have a poor chance of survival
or will have a poor quality of life if they do survive, and 3) babies
who are terminally ill and will not survive for long. Many questions
arise when examining this procedure: questions like: what is the
definition of terminally ill, what is a normal baby and how is it
different from the second or third groups, what happens to the children
in the second and third groups? The last question is answered when it is
revealed that doctors throughout the country of the Netherlands are
aborting newborn babies using this system. Keep in mind that this
horrible system started with a voluntary euthanasia program. It is clear
that AB 654 or any voluntary euthanasia program will lead to eugenics.Earlier in this speech I stated that euthanasia is sweeping America.
This is shown through the recent legalizing of voluntary euthanasia in
the state of Oregon. The recent involuntary murder of Terry Schiavo; and
the esteem given to a pro-euthanasia movie at this last years Oscar
awards, Million Dollar Baby. In fact, a recent poll shows that 60
percent of Americans, support doctor-assisted suicide. Do these
Americans really understand what they are supporting? Voluntary
Euthanasia is setup under the guise of mercy, and choices; but do most
Americans know that it violates the moral code of doctor practitioners.
That it is not choices or mercy, but government advocacy of suicide.
That it started the horrible Jewish Holocaust. That it leads to the
practice of eugenics. America is being deceived! She is being deceived
into thinking that this practice is actually compassionate and merciful.
As for myself, I do not think the practice that led to 6 million Jewish
men, women and children being massacred, the practice that has led
doctors to abort innocent young children could possibly be merciful.
America has choices to make, fall in line with the agenda of secular
European states, or resist indoctrination of a brutal and depraved
practice. America is being deceived.Alexis de Tocqueville, a French writer, observed America throughout the
early 1800s. He published his observance of the American way of
government is a college textbook still studied today. At the end of his
journeys was said to have found the key to Americas greatness. He is
quoted as saying:“America is great, because
America is good. If she ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be
great.”America must never pass outside the
line of moral boundaries. Allowing voluntary euthanasia would liken
America to stepping over the side of a moral cliff, only to find that
the only hope of safe crossing was just passing wisp of clouds.
Voluntary Euthanasia will send America plummeting from greatness.
America is being deceived! It is our responsibility to act before the
American public is sold over to the agenda of euthanasia.
Anthony Moreno is a
15 year old home-educated student who lives in California. He gave
this speech as a persuasive speech in a National Christian Forensic
and Communication Association qualifying Tournament. He hopes to
persuade and educate men and women about the true practice of
euthanasia. If you have any questions about the speech feel free to
email him at ajmoreno@covad.net
