Better said - Dying and Death …
Or Best said – just Death.
All in keeping with the fact that the Supreme Court of Canada is about to hear a case involving the right of Canadians to Death by Assisted Suicide.
Without getting into why the courts are dealing with such issues of social import rather than our elected Parliament - let’s deal with the matter itself.
That said, I believe the Court will rule in favour of expanding this manufactured ‘right’ – it just can’t seem to help itself - and in so doing, will mirror the wishes of today’s society.
Indeed, recent polling reports that 84% of Canadians are in favour of such; count me though as a 16%er.
Some attribute such high support to the decline in organized religion but realistically thinking – the religious have nothing to fear from death; the atheists everything. Rather, I see it more as a fallout from society’s great propensity to dispose. After all, it’s much easier to use pampers than cloth diapers as our over-full landfills can attest.
When I grew up in the late 40’s and 50’s families took care of themselves – households were often multi generational – grandparents, aunts and uncles. That generation took care of their own.
Then in the 60s we came along – along with nursing homes. We could now warehouse the sick, the elderly and the infirm.
And with the ever rising cost of health care, this warehousing has itself become inconvenient…and dear reader, it is all about convenience.
We – us boomers - are ‘me generation’ – and we want for society what we perceive as good for us individually.
I saw a woman interviewed recently who complained bitterly about having to be care giver to an elderly relative. Apparently no beds were available in the community and she was angry that the government did not financially compensate her for her efforts. Her patient was her elderly father.
Now the overwhelmng cry is for a permanent solution. Reminds me of the Nazis era.
The Pro Suicide folks – like Pro Choice – couch it as providing a choice but the choice really comes down to death.
So bring us your sick, your dying, your infirm and did not financially compensate her for her efforts. we’ll happily send them on their way into the abyss. All the while, we comfort ourselves in the mistaken belief that we are being humane.
Modern medicine has advanced to the point where no one needs to suffer – so the need for choice is a hollow one.
Either life is sacred or it is not; there should not be qualifiers.
But for 84% of us – and likely the SCC, let’s just get rid of those who don’t measure up – or are used up – it is much cleaner and of course so much more convenient.
And with us baby boomers getting longer in the tooth – it will most certainly save money at least for those of us who remain healthy.
As I see it…
‘K.D. Galagher’
