Image via WikipediaOne of the worst things about our debased media culture is that there is absolutely no memory -- the press is so busy chasing the latest skirt scandal that they never have any time to reflect, to ponder, or to go back and review the scare-story predictions made about the parade of horrible things sure to result when some tiny step towards progress threatens to occur.Consider Oregon's Death with Dignity law. It's worth noting, again and again, that every single claim about the horrific outcomes has been wrong, year after year after year. People are not flocking to Oregon to kill themselves. The handicapped and disabled haven't been encouraged to off themselves. People who are "sad" don't get lethal prescriptions. Docs aren't encouraging patients to off themselves as soon as the insurance money stops.
The uber-claim of the anti-dignity folks was that letting people die without excruciating pain would somehow "devalue life." Well, to the extent that "life" has been devalued in Oregon, it has been because the people who opposed Death with Dignity also relentlessly oppose and create obstacles to letting people control their own lives in those critical areas around whether or not to give birth, marry, or depart this mortal coil.
The basic principle of the people who fought to try to force the rest of us to face death on their terms alone is that you do not have the right to decide the most intimate matters of your own life -- whether you give birth, or whether you can marry the person you love, or whether you should be able to avoid a hellish end of unbearable pain.
It's important to remember and to bring this up because the people who fought against letting us decide to hasten our own deaths are absolutely fanatical in their virulent hatred of freedom and their determination to roll back progress. They want to force rape victims to bear their rapists' child; they want to make it impossible for same sex couples to marry; they want to deny the poor access to birth control; and they want to return to the time when only the rich could get help from a doctor to ease their suffering from a terminal illness.
If you value your freedom, if you think that you and you alone should decide the most intimate matters of life, then you need to be alert to who these people are. Because the media never holds them to account and points out that none of the horrible things they said would happen ever do.
As we enjoy the bliss of a gorgeous Oregon summer, take a moment to remember that there are people who hate that you might decide what is best for you for yourself, without giving them a say or letting them decide for you. And join or send something to the groups that fight for your rights all year long.
- American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon
- Americans United for the Separation of Church and State
- Compassion and Choices
- Human Rights Campaign of Oregon
- Oregon Hospice Association
- Planned Parenthood
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2 comments:
A wise and prescient post. The same old canards are shouted in every state that tries to adopt a law like Oregon's and there's not a shred of evidence to back them up. In fact, Oregon is a national model for quality end-of-life care, whether the Death With Dignity Act is a factor or not.
Moreover, keeping assisted dying illegal on no way prevents it from occurring. It's just less regulated in other states and more prone to the abuses that opponents claim to worry about. My new book Whate You Wish For (available on Amazon) takes a close look at this problem in the context of a contemporary California family. I dare anyone to read it and come away thinking that an Oregon-type law wouldn't have helped them.
Bravo on an articulate and clearly stated discussion of this issue! May I add one organization to the list of folks who work hard to defend this right? The Death with Dignity National Center participates in legal challenges, assists groups that lobby their state legislatures and provides valuable information about end-of-life rights. They have a wonderful newsletter and a great up-to-the-minute blog: http://www.deathwithdignity.org
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