I couldn't agree more, Arthur. This is not something, though, that we have to wait for legislation, as local law enforcement agencies will turn a blind eye, provided of course tht local law enforcement is hired/elected for the right reasons, namely a recognition that these matters fall into the sole authority of the individual.
Cheers, Lawry On Jul 21, 2010, at 9:52 AM, Arthur Cordell wrote: > We have to keep nudging legislators to bring about needed changes, much the > same way that the women’s movement called for choice and control over their > own bodies. Some seniors would also like control over their own bodies. > Seems a simple idea. > > > > Arthur > > > > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Lawrence de Bivort > Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 9:31 AM > To: RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, EDUCATION > Cc: 'Keith Hudson' > Subject: Re: [Futurework] Here's to mental health at 90! > > > > > > Agreed, Keith, Though I don't know about the bludgeoning! More and more, > people seem less fearful of death. Perhaps that fear was derived from the > religiously promoted threats of heaven and hell? My sense is that many > people have attained such a level of quality in their lives that losing much > of that quality in the face of the infirmities of age is unacceptable. And > with our longer live-spans it may be easier to conclude that one has led a > good life and that it is time to wrap it up. Some of my friends talk about > pacts among themselves to make sure that their last days are not spent in > hopeless agony. Going to a service in Switzerland may be the best option now > -- though a program I saw about it some time ago made it seem too austere for > my tastes -- is an expensive option and like so much else, the virtues of > 'grow and buy local' may extend themselves to this end-of-life realm. > > > > Cheers, > > Lawry > > > > > > > Arthur, > > > Over here the idea of euthanasia is proceeding far faster than I would have > expected even as recently as a year or two ago. My partner and I have both > signed a legal Advance Notices (requesting non-resuscitation in case of > severe debilitation, etc), and there are increasing numbers of press stories > about individuals (usually the totally paralysed with locked-in minds who can > only communicate by blinking) who want to be sent on their way, retired > doctors who confess to mercy killings when they practised, and there's a > growing stream of people leaving for the clinic in Switzerland that does this > thing. > > I think that well within 20 years -- when there'll be huge numbers of the old > -- we'll see voluntary euthanasia on a large scale. I think we'll start to > see a lot more involuntary euthanasia than already goes on in our nursing > homes. My guess is that, already, hundreds, if not thousands, of cases go on > every year that are never revealed. > > As recently as 200 years ago when Scandinavian families in the far north had > had a bad summer and insufficient food to see them through the winter if they > had an aged parent on board, they would hold a ceremony (usually on a > particular family rock) whereby the ancient was clubbed to death (with their > permission). Once we get this Christian thing about souls and so forth out of > our head then euthanasia of anybody who's become a severe economic drain will > become culturally acceptable. It will take generations but, I think, > inevitable. It seems terribly shocking to us now but it will be normal then. > > Keith > > > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
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