Feb 13th, 2024: Acceptable Cleansing?

The recent discussion between our politicians and medical professionals about extending Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID) to mentally ill people signifies some rather disturbing trends in our culture. Medical professionals basically said to the politicians that they don't see any clear way to justify that ethically. Our Canadian government has decided that they will table the discussion in three years after more studies are done.

I wonder what our government is hoping for. A new batch of doctors might be more receptive to the extension of MAID? That could be true when doctors don't have the conviction that saving lives is their main calling. We just have to wait and see.

Mentally ill people have been abused and misunderstood because they cannot express themselves effectively. What is the difference between that and ethnic cleansing? It is a dangerous and slippery slope when a group of people think that it is better for some other group of people to die. We have seen that throughout human history. Is that why some of our school systems have avoided teaching young people about the Holocaust? We cannot make ethical decisions when we are ignorant of history.

Can we really believe that we will be able to deal with ethical challenges concerning MAID for mentally ill folks in 3 years? What is magical about our ability to make better moral and ethical decisions in three years? Lies upon lies are what we are dealing with.

"And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'" - Mark 10:42-45