There is a very concerning Euthanasia choice on the ballot in Massachusetts this coming election day. The Archdiocese of Boston and many others have been working hard to make sure this goes down to defeat.
A very effective guest Op-Ed by self described "pro choice liberal against voting for euthanasia appeared in the New York Times. See Suicide by Choice? Not So Fast
This person partly going off her own life experience explains a big point I try to make myself on this issue. Here is a part:
My problem, ultimately, is this: I’ve lived so close to death for so long that I know how thin and porous the border between coercion and free choice is, how easy it is for someone to inadvertently influence you to feel devalued and hopeless — to pressure you ever so slightly but decidedly into being “reasonable,” to unburdening others, to “letting go.”
Perhaps, as advocates contend, you can’t understand why anyone would push for assisted-suicide legislation until you’ve seen a loved one suffer. But you also can’t truly conceive of the many subtle forces — invariably well meaning, kindhearted, even gentle, yet as persuasive as a tsunami — that emerge when your physical autonomy is hopelessly compromised.
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