NationStates Jolt Archive

Is this an example of European Enlightenment?

Nov 30, 3:03 PM (ET)

By TOBY STERLING

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) - A hospital in the Netherlands - the first nation to permit euthanasia - recently proposed guidelines for mercy killings of terminally ill newborns, and then made a startling revelation: It has already begun carrying out such procedures, which include administering a lethal dose of sedatives.

The announcement by the Groningen Academic Hospital came amid a growing discussion in Holland on whether to legalize euthanasia on people incapable of deciding for themselves whether they want to end their lives - a prospect viewed with horror by euthanasia opponents and as a natural evolution by advocates.

Relieving the suffering of terminally ill newborns?! This must be stopped!!

What part of 'terminally ill' don't you understand?

The kids are dying anyways, why make them suffer while they do so?

Unless you're proposing the invention of infant pain killers here...

Because there's nothing I like more than the thought of babies suffering through extreme pain to cheer me up after a long day....

SWEET! Now we can use the nutrients from the babies flesh to feed the poor. Waste not, want not...

Relieving the suffering of terminally ill newborns?! This must be stopped!!
Indeed! We must all suffer like Jesus did! The fact that the babies are terminally ill (usually from some genetic problem, i.e. a genetic disease) and will die before they reach age 10 is irrelevant. Although I guess there are some cases where this is only partially true. Has anyone seen Lorenzo's Oil? It is an incredibly depressing, but overall true story. Lorenzo is still alive today, but is bedridden and can't really do anything. That is an exceptional example, and I don't believe it's fair to the children to just assume something like that will happen.

Baby Torture: Would THAT be an example of "European Enlightenment"?

Similarly, all animals and certain plants should be forced to suffer and die 'naturally', rather than be put out of their misery. So what if Kitty is coughing up its intestines, and is going to be dead in a few days, doesn't mean you kill Kitty! In fact, you should try to feed the intestines back to Kitty, so Kitty can suffer for an extra day!

i'm dutch and i haven't heard of this :confused:

yeah, really, terrible, ending the suffering of innocents with no chance at life anyways.

Indeed, if they are terminally ill, they will not survive, they are weak. Under the laws of nature they die eventually, why stand by and watch them suffer?

That's rather sadistic if you ask me. Surely, they have no voice, they cannot choose whether or not to live or die. But that's just the thing, in cases such as that, they have no choice. Even if they could choose, they would have to decide whether to die sooner, or a tad bit later, gripped in the subtle, misery-lending hand of fate.

you should try to feed the intestines back to Kitty, so Kitty can suffer for an extra day!

and think of the money you would save on catfood!

and think of the money you would save on catfood!

Kitty recycles. :D

SWEET! Now we can use the nutrients from the babies flesh to feed the poor. Waste not, want not...
NEW! Soylent Green Lite!

Better then forcing people into a wretched existence.

I hope they are really, REALLY sure about this....

because my gorgeous and brilliant 18 month old niece was supposedly going to be born with Down's Syndrome and be mentally retarded. Thank God my brother and sister in law did not take the option of aborting her...

Apples and Oranges? Maybe. But the medical community can, has, and will be wrong.

I hope they are really, REALLY sure about this....

because my gorgeous and brilliant 18 month old niece was supposedly going to be born with Down's Syndrome and be mentally retarded. Thank God my brother and sister in law did not take the option of aborting her...

Apples and Oranges? Maybe. But the medical community can, has, and will be wrong.

Well I don't think its abortion.....

These infants are born, and tested before they're given a dose of sedatives.

A similar case was made in the UK, when Doctors were given permission to refuse to revive a terminally ill baby when it next stopped breathing.

I hope they are really, REALLY sure about this....

because my gorgeous and brilliant 18 month old niece was supposedly going to be born with Down's Syndrome and be mentally retarded. Thank God my brother and sister in law did not take the option of aborting her...

Apples and Oranges? Maybe. But the medical community can, has, and will be wrong.


Either born awhile ago or a bad doctor. They are pretty accurate about this stuff now.

My wife had a sister born with an advanced case of CF. She lived two weeks attached to machine and heavily drugged. My mother-in-law thinks she never recognized her due to the drugs.

Gigantic hospital bills to which they had to beg for a payment plan!

Good policy indeed!

She's 18 months old now.

Any Myrth, I can see not reviving a terminally ill child who passed away... I just am a bit cautious about euthanising a human being who is unable to choose for him or herself....

Could you post a link to your source? I'd be interested to read the whole thing.

The announcement by the Groningen Academic Hospital came amid a growing discussion in Holland on whether to legalize euthanasia on people incapable of deciding for themselves whether they want to end their lives - a prospect viewed with horror by euthanasia opponents and as a natural evolution by advocates.
OK, so you should let a little baby suffer? Criminal if you ask me. Euthanasia is more humane than forcing people to suffer against their consent.

because my gorgeous and brilliant 18 month old niece was supposedly going to be born with Down's Syndrome and be mentally retarded. Thank God my brother and sister in law did not take the option of aborting her...

Apples and Oranges? Maybe. But the medical community can, has, and will be wrong.
I think that's apples and oranges, but I see your point. I hate it when people abort due to mental or physical "errors" or even the gender of the kid! Abortion may be right if it's going to save the mom's life, if the baby's going to be born still-born (with 100% certainity), or something like that. But that's for another discussion...

Look, I understand life and death. My brother was born dead, two months too early, a long time ago. Three of my grandparents are dead. My old dogs are dead (not the same, but it still hurt). It's a tough subject. I'm glad this thread is actually discussing it instead of having deteriorated into another attack by Bible-thumpers or whatnot.

i'm dutch and i haven't heard of this :confused:
I'm from Groningen and haven't heard of this.