The Dutch seriously proposed permitting 12-year-olds to opt for euthanasia, and that was beaten back for the moment. Now, a new Scottish proposal to legalize assisted suicide would give the “right to die” to children. From the story:
Children aged 12 or even younger could be given the right to assisted suicide under a radical new Scottish bill proposed by veteran MSP Margo MacDonald.
The independent politician, who has Parkinson’s disease, wants to bring legislation before the Scottish Parliament next year which would legalise assisted suicide.
Launching a consultation on her proposed End of Life Choices (Scotland) Bill yesterday, Mrs MacDonald suggested that the age limit for people wanting assistance to die should mirror that for children who are allowed under family law to “choose a life” by deciding which parent to live with when couples split up. In Scotland, youngsters whose parents are divorcing are generally consulted by the courts over who they wish to stay with from the age of 12 to 16, after which they are legally deemed to be adults.
And, of course, the killing wouldn’t be limited to people who are dying since that is merely a political ploy to establish the principle of permitting assisted suicide/euthanasia in more resistant countries, like the USA:
Assisted suicide would also be possible for patients who unexpectedly became incapacitated to an “intolerable” degree, or who simply find their life “intolerable” – although the latter case would require the doctor to seek a second opinion from another health professional.
Culture of death? What culture of death? It’s all in your imagination, Wesley.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
