Posts by Martin
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Access: Right to die?, in reply to Martin Connelly,
Thanks Martin
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Access: Right to die?, in reply to Joe Wylie,
Instead Martin Sullivan, with the headiness born of single-issue activism, Godwins his own argument by invoking the holocaust.
Those who forget their history tend to repeat it Joe
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Access: Right to die?, in reply to Andrew Geddis,
No – they are speaking for themselves and others who may share their perspective (such as myself) that end-of-life choices should be theirs to make. Just as you are speaking for yourself and others in the disabled community with (justified and understandable) concerns about how the law may apply. Why isn’t there room for both sets of voices in the debate, and why conflate one with the other?
I’m sorry Andrew but you’re just going to have to believe disabled people when we say that ‘experts’ views have a habit of prevailing over ours, especially the more vulnerable members of our community. As soon as experts are involved, only one voice prevails – just ask those people who get no choice where and with whom they live; what time they are got up, what clothes they wear and who feeds them and what is fed to them and then what they do for the rest of the day. While these decisions by experts are frustrating, at least they are not deadly! And as you so elegantly blogged in “I Think National Just Broke our Constitution” you know how nasty, vindictive and mean-spirited this National government can be when it comes to spending money to preserve out choice, control and dignity.
Catholics having to fund abortions? Jehovah’s Witnesses having to fund blood transfusions? Christian Scientists having to fund all medical treatments? Not to mention pacifists having to fund the army. Does anyone with a moral/religious problem with a form of medical intervention (or other publicly funded practice) get to veto its provision?
The point in the examples you give Andrew are about keeping people alive; physician assisted suicide is about killing people.
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Access: Some aspects of New Zealand’s…, in reply to Angela Hart,
My thoughts as well Angela - its too early for these carers to start celebrating given what happened to paying family carers and the vindictive Family Funded Care scheme.