Human Life on the "Clearance Rack"

The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction,

 is the first and only object of good government.

Thomas Jefferson

I just added a new list of links to my page. (Check out the Grim Reaper on the right.) I dare to say, studying those sites should be a top priority for every adult on the planet, especially aging Baby Boomers. 

Back in 1973 when the Supreme Court passed Roe v. Wade, pro-lifers predicted that euthanasia was right behind. Of course the "pro-choicers" (actually, pro-baby killers) all pooh-poohed the prediction. I remember debating a number of times on the subject and the opposition were obviously all working from the same playbook. "Just because you raise the speed limit to 50 miles an hour," they would say, "doesn't mean you'll raise it to 70."  As if that had anything to do with debasing the dignity of human life and reducing its value to zero. Let's face it, once the little shop of horrors puts a "price tag" on life, a "sale" is inevitable. And, after killing millions of babies with unlimited potential since 1973, we are rapidly moving those with limited potential to the "clearance rack," especially the vulnerable elderly.

But the murderous intent of the death peddlers always hides behind "compassion." Active euthanasia is still a scandal that elicits lots of negative publicity. Remember the Terri Schiavo case? And so we have "palliative care," the quiet killer. Sounds great doesn't it? And once it was. But today's "palliative care" is not your grandad's "palliative care." That truly was care, a care and concern that which protected and preserved his life until natural death. But, like the abortion industry's new definition of "fertilization" to mean "implantation" so the littlest babies can be killed in the dark, the term "palliative care" has been completely transformed.

No longer does it mean preserving and protecting life until natural death. It now involves a bureaucratic cost/benefit assessment used to label some lives as not worth preserving or protecting. Too costly. And I'm not talking about extraordinary means either which no one is morally bound to accept. I'm talking about ordinary, normal care that would have been routine just a few decades ago.

The new attitude?

Just move along. If you're old or handicapped don't ask for treatments that improve your quality of life as you age; just take the pain killers, and let us hasten your death so you stop taking up a bed.

You're not dying, but you're elderly? Hey, get out of the way for the next generation.

The horror stories from real people abound. I have one myself, but I won't post it at present. I did, however, read this a story on the cancer survivors network webpage today. Since the user agreement forbids me to copy the post I'll summarize it. A wife lamented the fact that her husband was denied food and water in the hospital by the "palliative care division" when the hospital decided to quit treatment. They not only denied care, but put a "sitter" in the hospital room to make sure the wife did not feed her husband. By the time she got him moved to hospice (which, sadly, might not have been any better), it was too late and he died a few days later. The woman was extremely distraught about what happened and was writing to warn others. Who knows how much longer her husband could have enjoyed his family if not for the "compassionate" palliative care he received, i.e., total neglect. What a way to go, eh?

So you thought families and a medical power of attorney would protect a vulnerable family member? No more! Increasingly, hospitals are denying treatment even to patients who have a good chance of recovery if given half a chance, but for one reason or another, the patient isn't considered worth the cost of treatment. What's more, if the patient is handicapped in any way, watch out. He may go on the clearance rack marked "useless eater." 

The revelations about Planned Parenthood the past week indicate exactly how little life is "valued" in the U.S. today. Oh, the components of the body are valued highly. An intact liver of an aborted baby can bring in tens of thousands of dollars. And just think...if a baby's liver is worth that much how much will the liver, heart, etc. from a healthy, athletic person in the prime of life bring? The sky's the limit!

A heart transplant operation can cost over a million dollars, an intestine transplant over a million and a half. That's a lot of money for doctors and hospitals. How much are organs worth? Check out this 2014 report from Milliman, p.3. And remember that "love of money is the root of all evils."

I'd like to think that all doctors and hospitals are staffed with Florence Nightingale and Albert Schweitzer, but let's face it....There are plenty of Dr. Mengeles, Dr. Gosnells, and Dr. Kevorkians out there.

Preserve and protect your own life and the lives of others. Learn all you can about the new path to death called "palliative care." Don't let the death peddlers put you or your loved ones on the clearance rack. You're a child of God and your value is priceless.