Ethics!
Euthanasia is in the news again thanks to mr. Claus and the new debate about euthanasia for kids and severely demented elderly people.
Personally I think every chance people get to make their own choices is a good one. And euthanasia is on the same list as abolition of slavery, legalized abortion and gettting rid of the death penalty. They are essential elements in the long road to civilization humanity is undertaking. According to that little list only a handful of countries in the world can call them self civilized.
France failed the civilization-test just last week when some judge decided that poor woman with a face tumor and agonizing pain couldn't be assisted in dying because...
See, there's the problem, noone can give a good answer to that except: 'if we allow it for this woman, more will follow! People will abuse the system and murder!'. That's why, as a society, you make laws that prevents abuse from happening. Duh.
Why can't French politicans and judges don't think of this. If this case would've presented itself in the USA there would be a bunch of religious nuts protesting in the streets in the same way they bomb abortion clinics, but this is France; home of the French revolution, the values of egality, liberty and the declaration of human rights.
How come the French stopped evolving ethically and the Dutch/Belgian/Scandinavians haven't?
There's plenty of other examples of still existing barbary in the 'western world' :
Why can't the USA not abolish the death penalty which is considered a truely barberous act by just about every European?
Why is abortion still not legal in Ireland?
Why do the US have special abortion clinics? Did they run out of rooms in normal hospitals?
So Jen brought up an interesting theory. Ethical advancement is linked to quality of life. If the average quality of life is very high in a society, there's room to tackle issues like euthanasia, gay marriages and abortion and sure enough Belgium, Holland and Scandinavia are probably the countries with the highest standard of living in the world for the biggest percentage of inhabitants (unlike the US for example where the average standard of living is high but so is the gap between rich and poor).
In other words, societies need decent social security before they can advance ethically. And social security has to be seen in a broad light. The other day I told Jen we have a goverment agency that gives counceling to Lotto-winners. She cracked up.
Does the world need a new revolution?
One where all lotto winners get counceling?
I think so.
Personally I think every chance people get to make their own choices is a good one. And euthanasia is on the same list as abolition of slavery, legalized abortion and gettting rid of the death penalty. They are essential elements in the long road to civilization humanity is undertaking. According to that little list only a handful of countries in the world can call them self civilized.
France failed the civilization-test just last week when some judge decided that poor woman with a face tumor and agonizing pain couldn't be assisted in dying because...
See, there's the problem, noone can give a good answer to that except: 'if we allow it for this woman, more will follow! People will abuse the system and murder!'. That's why, as a society, you make laws that prevents abuse from happening. Duh.
Why can't French politicans and judges don't think of this. If this case would've presented itself in the USA there would be a bunch of religious nuts protesting in the streets in the same way they bomb abortion clinics, but this is France; home of the French revolution, the values of egality, liberty and the declaration of human rights.
How come the French stopped evolving ethically and the Dutch/Belgian/Scandinavians haven't?
There's plenty of other examples of still existing barbary in the 'western world' :
Why can't the USA not abolish the death penalty which is considered a truely barberous act by just about every European?
Why is abortion still not legal in Ireland?
Why do the US have special abortion clinics? Did they run out of rooms in normal hospitals?
So Jen brought up an interesting theory. Ethical advancement is linked to quality of life. If the average quality of life is very high in a society, there's room to tackle issues like euthanasia, gay marriages and abortion and sure enough Belgium, Holland and Scandinavia are probably the countries with the highest standard of living in the world for the biggest percentage of inhabitants (unlike the US for example where the average standard of living is high but so is the gap between rich and poor).
In other words, societies need decent social security before they can advance ethically. And social security has to be seen in a broad light. The other day I told Jen we have a goverment agency that gives counceling to Lotto-winners. She cracked up.
Does the world need a new revolution?
One where all lotto winners get counceling?
I think so.