Wednesday, December 15, 2004
And supporters say there is no 'slippery slope' argument!?
Britain's best-known bioethicist, Baroness Warnock, has suggested that the elderly should request euthanasia rather than linger on as a burden on their families. In an interview in the London Times, the architect of the UK's fertility laws said that "I know I'm not really allowed to say it, but one of the things that would motivate me [to die] is I couldn't bear hanging on and being such a burden on people. In other contexts sacrificing oneself for one's family would be considered good. I don't see what is so horrible about the motive of not wanting to be an increasing nuisance. If I went into a nursing home it would be a terrible waste of money that my family could use far better."
In the Times interview, Baroness Warnock also argues that parents who want to keep their children on life-support systems should be charged for it, if doctors do not feel that they will have a healthy life. "Maybe it has come down to saying, 'OK, they can stay alive but the family will have to pay for it.' Otherwise it will be an awful drain on public resources," she said.
Britain's best-known bioethicist, Baroness Warnock, has suggested that the elderly should request euthanasia rather than linger on as a burden on their families. In an interview in the London Times, the architect of the UK's fertility laws said that "I know I'm not really allowed to say it, but one of the things that would motivate me [to die] is I couldn't bear hanging on and being such a burden on people. In other contexts sacrificing oneself for one's family would be considered good. I don't see what is so horrible about the motive of not wanting to be an increasing nuisance. If I went into a nursing home it would be a terrible waste of money that my family could use far better."
In the Times interview, Baroness Warnock also argues that parents who want to keep their children on life-support systems should be charged for it, if doctors do not feel that they will have a healthy life. "Maybe it has come down to saying, 'OK, they can stay alive but the family will have to pay for it.' Otherwise it will be an awful drain on public resources," she said.
