By Ray Cardello for May 28, 2024, Season 26 / Post 37

Just because other countries do something does not mean we must adopt it, too. America used to pride itself on being the innovator, setting the trends for others to follow. Not any longer. We have entered into the lemming mode where we think it is WOKE to conform to Canada, Norway, Switzerland, or any other progressive country with off-the-wall ideas. We even see individual states doing the same thing. Maine desperately wants to be like Oregon, even though Oregon is already reversing course on many of its failed ideas.

Depending on upbringing and religious beliefs, some may have radical thoughts on abortion and medically assisted suicide (MAS) to the point of being repulsed by the concept. Christians, myself included, have always looked upon life as sacrosanct, with birth and death in God’s hands. That is not the case with many people who think that mankind should be the keeper of the bell. These folks want to decide which fetus is to be born and when adults should die, and they are ready and able to assist with either. They will kill a fetus up to the time of birth or help someone to end their life because they have lived enough.

Oregon first accepted MAS in 1997, starting as a ballot initiative under the Death with Dignity Act. Nine more states and Washington D.C. have followed suit, with 20 more States debating various forms of the law. Should all these states pass their version, MAS will be legal in most of the United States. With each passing bill, the concept seems to grow, and the list of reasons accepted broadens. In Canada, where 4% of all deaths are listed as MAS, there is a documented case of a veteran with chronic leg pain who checked with his doctor for a remedy and was asked if he would consider a MAS option. Unfamiliar with the term, the patient inquired and was shocked that he was being offered a ticket out rather than relieved of his pain. The patient was deemed a burden for the system and a long-term expense for Canada, so the best solution for the state is for the patient to opt for MAS. This example shows how little respect there is for life when you open the door to legal death. It also shows how the bar can be lowered significantly as each state tries to be more progressive than the last.

When this idea was young, MAS was considered an option for people who were in the advanced stages of debilitating diseases with less than six months to live and had exhausted all treatment options. There was also a 48-hour wait period as a final obstacle. Now, it has expanded to mental illness, depression, and even alcoholism. These laws may be reversed when more conservative governments take the reins in these liberal states, but we need to fight them before they become law in the first place. We have to stop accepting we have to stay in the backseat as progressive Democrat leadership runs us off the road. We have to help Jesus take the wheel and remove these Democrat’s hands from the wheel.