Denmark Rejects Legalizing Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide

We have sufficient experience with assisted suicide/euthanasia to understand where it leads — an ever-expanding regime of medicalized killing and acceptance of the dangerous concept of the life not worth living — all under the guise of so-called “death with dignity” (as if dying naturally isn’t dignified).

Still, euthanasia activists keep telling us that their agenda is unstoppable. Sometimes, it seems that way, I admit. And it depresses the hell out of me. But then, sometimes light penetrates the growing darkness.

Such an event just occurred. The Danish Council of Ethics has rejected legalization of euthanasia and assisted suicide by a 16–1 vote. From the English-language press release:

After much deliberation and discussion in the Danish Council of Ethics, a majority of 16 of the council’s 17 members have come to the conclusion that there is too much at stake regarding our basic view of humanity for euthanasia to be introduced in Denmark.

Why? First, creating legislation that truly protects the vulnerable isn’t possible

That process is very clear to anyone paying attention, particularly in the Netherlands, Belgium, and most excruciatingly among our closest cultural cousins in Canada. But even more restrictive laws, such as in Oregon, have produced clear examples of abuse and abandonment of the ill rather than providing truly compassionate care.

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If someone is suicidal — for whatever reason — the humane response is prevention and caring intervention to help remediate the cause of suicide ideation, not telling the suffering person that their lives are indeed not worth living by facilitating their deaths. Otherwise, we will become a culture that is pro-suicide in some cases. And the categories of people deemed worthy of hastened death will continually expand until — as Germany’s highest court already has — we institute a system of death on demand.

Those with eyes to see, let them see.

LifeNews.com Note: Wesley J. Smith, J.D., is a special consultant to the Center for Bioethics and Culture and a bioethics attorney who blogs at Human Exeptionalism.

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