| In Cal Thomas' diatribe against a freely elected Dutch Parliament that voted for very restricted euthanasia or patient requested mercy killing, he referred to that society as having "no compass and no objective standard of right and wrong", without telling us where to find such an "objective" standard. Maybe in Ayn Rand's objectivism? Or in the "objective" infallibility of the Pope and his teaching? In his article he referred to a deceased Dutch prime minister Abraham Kuyper. After I graduated from high school in Holland my Protestant minister gave me a book about Abraham Kuyper, hoping that I would study theology and follow in the footsteps of that noble God-fearing man, so I am very aware of Dr. Kuyper and still have that book. His ideas were the prevailing thoughts and beliefs of his time for Protestants with hardly a good word for Roman Catholics. One can always find a professor or doctor who agrees with one's position to lend authority to your own point of view, so as a "counter-professor" may I introduce Peter Singer, an ethicist, undoubtedly well known to Cal Thomas, who believes the opposite. Nature knows no "right to life", much less an inalienable right, but it has an absolute certainty of death, sooner or later. The objection against abortion and mercy killing is fueled by religion, which describes these "sins" as a "culture of death", as the Pope did, but as an alternative it can only offer a "culture of suffering", because that is assumed or believed to be God's will. No one in the Netherlands is denied his or her right to suffer till the end. I presume Cal would say the same arbitrary thing about the people of Oregon, simply because they saw no useful purpose served for the patient or society by needless suffering without any realistic sign of hope for recovery. Cal probably thinks he has an "objective" God on his side, but so did the Inquisition. He may opine for a majority, but not for me or the compassionate Hemlock Society. John Van Huizum Acton, CA |
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