Killing Disabled Children: They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

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Rejection of God and the moral law he has imprinted on a nation has consequences.

The West's shaking off of God's fetters in the 60s lead to the humanist religion of personal rights; these rights were expressed in militant sexual immorality, the undisciplined procreation of children, easy divorce, the glorification of single-parenting (and its denying the child a father's or a mother's love while insisting all will be well) and the grand climactic sacramental rite that marks a nation that has rejected the Giver of Life: abortion.

In some of the more progressive western countries,  there is also the cutting-edge-right-to-end-it-all-when-you're-done -- euthanasia.

So, sexual libertarianism, the undisciplined procreation of children, abortion, and, when you're tired of it all, euthanasia.  And Liberals look on all of this and call it "good".

In Canada, the first province to embrace euthanasia will be la corrupte province, Quebec. The first national party to embrace it will be the NDP with the Liberals looking on, taking some polls, and wondering if they should climb on board.

So, the question is not will our moral slide continue, the question is how low will we go.  We are still, in Canada at least, living on the fumes of a past Christian society, and Christian ideas, such as how we treat our neighbour (e.g., the Good Samaritan) are still deeply imprinted on the Canadian psyche. But time and the secular hell-bent of governments will continue to erode the Christian legacy of the present course is maintained. So, time will tell.

Killing children with disabilities is in the news and "on the table".  A British commentator has come out in favor of it and it is at least considered a respectable topic of conversation.  For links, go here, or here.

Will we routinely kill our disabled children?  We already kill perfectly formed pre-born children, and we have yet to plumb the depths of the post-Christian neo-pagan mind. So, with Canadian newspapers such as the National Post now turning their lonely eyes to prostitution and euthansia-loving Amsterdam as an example to emulated, I wouldn't bet against it.

As Jeremiah said, the heart of man is desperately wicked.

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• Abortion and euthanasia: was Virginia Ironside right? (guardian.co.uk)
• Hébert: Quebec leads the way with euthanasia debate (thestar.com)
• "Our Devolving and Decaying Morally Relativistic Society" (deaconforlife.blogspot.com)
• Euro-socialists want to shut down hospitals opposed to abortion and euthanasia. It's time to stop them (blogs.telegraph.co.uk)
• Garth George: 'Thou shalt not kill' must be our guide (nzherald.co.nz)
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NEVER Call Someone a Vegetable

Human beings may suffer various degrees of mental impairment, but they remain human beings. They do not become "vegetables". Ever. And it is wrong and dehumanizing, to suggest they do and to label them as such -- just like we get around the inconvenient fact of the unborn child by using the impersonal term "fetus" and we disassociate ourselves from evil human beings by referring to them as "animals". All are human beings created in the image of God, however undeveloped, marred, or damaged this image may be.

This comes too late to help Terri Schiavo who was, effectively, murdered (or something very close to it) with the support of a substantial percentage of American society.

But perhaps it may result in a little less arrogance and a bit more humility among those both in and outside the medical sciences who are quick to label other humans "vegetables". And an increased awareness of the continuing humanity of even the most severely handicapped among us.

Let's resolve to never, ever refer to someone as a vegetable.


Update May 2011:


Spelling errors corrected. h/t Canadian Cynic -- thank you.


Regarding the linked article, 

Laureys later concluded that messages attributed to Houben through Wouters' facilitation were not, in fact, coming from Houben after all.... Dr. Novella attributed Dr. Laureys's prior error to likely insufficient experience with facilitated communication.[4]  Source: Wiki.

This does not negate the thrust of this post; people never become vegetables, and it is de-humanizing to refer to them as such.

Update July 2011:

‘Brain dead’ Quebec woman wakes up after family refuses organ donation

‘Brain dead’ woman recovers after husband refuses to withdraw life support