We can all only hope that we retain our mental faculties when we grow old. Many do not, and end up in homes as they no longer can care for themselves. But losing your memory and eventually cognitive ability is a tough road and euthanasia advocates believe that elderly afflicted with dementia should have the option to basically commit suicide by signing a waiver to let their caretakers starve them to death. This is just wrong.
“…Euthanasia activists are pushing for laws that permit people to write advance directives ordering themselves starved to death if they become mentally incapacitated. That effort is apparently gaining steam. The assisted suicide supporting organization Final Exit Network published a poll that supposedly found only 15 percent of respondents would oppose. Here’s how the question was worded as quoted in the pro-euthanasia crusading bioethicist Thaddeus Mason Pope’s blog:
Some people also propose that individuals with early stage dementia, who are still competent, should be able to stipulate for their future incompetent selves, that they want food and drink withdrawn and for doctors to keep them comfortable so they can die peacefully.
Notice the passive language. If I threw you in a room and locked the door until you starved and dehydrated to death, would you consider that dying “peacefully?” Would you consider it “peaceful” if a doctor drugged you so deeply that you could not ask for food?”
We should not be condoning suicide. This is evil. Hypothetically if an elderly person who was losing their mind signed this waiver, they would be begging for sustenance later, as they would have no recollection of why they are being starved. If we made euthanasia in any form a common practice, it would surely be abused and it would only be a matter of time until Nursing homes start offing patients to reap some sort of benefit.