Misdefining our Terms

Diluting the term Human

At the root of the forward march of Euthanasia lies a continuous narrowing in the definition of who is human. If you trace the progression it first began with removing unborn children from the class called human beings. So, it followed it was permissible to kill the unborn child.

The next class to be removed from human status were the less than perfect, but nonetheless born, infants. Mental and physical imperfections suddenly excluded infants from human status and therefore made it permissible to end the lives of these defenseless creatures.

Now, it is the elderly who happen to be suffering from illness that are no longer considered full humans. The most frequent reason given for this reclassification; cost to families and disrupting of their perfect career paths.

Since when is "inconvenience" a reason to stop considering some one human?

These changes in the definition of what constitutes a human have only happened in the last 40 years. This makes them modern whims or trends. As a side note, study the path of German medicine in the 1920's leading up to its finest moment in the Nazi culture of death. You will find a shocking parallel to our own culture's rush to end more lives. The Nazi's T-4 program was designed to stop burdening society with the less than perfect.

And just what is the basis for these changes?

The short answer is that it originates in the prevailing opinion of those I would call spoiled and lazy brats. Once we allow opinions to determine who is human and who is not, the real fun begins. Where does this truly stop? Other than a return to classical absolutes there is no way to put the brakes on this run away choo-choo.

Lessons from the past

I would like to end this entry with a quote from a German who was imprisoned in the death camps of Nazi death camps, Martin Niemoller:

"First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out.
And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me."