A society will be judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members; and among the most vulnerable are surely the unborn and the dying.
–Saint Pope John Paul II
What does it mean to die with dignity? We hear this phrase a lot, especially in light of young Charlie Gard. From the Free Dictionary (emphasis mine):
the philosophical concept that a terminally ill client should be allowed to die natu-rally and comfortably, rather than experience a comatose, vegetative life prolonged by mechanical support systems.
Death that is allowed to occur in accordance with the wishes of a patient. An individual may choose to withdraw from chronic medical therapies, as when there is little expectation of cure. Patients who choose death rather than active treatment often have advanced malignancies, poor performance status, major depression, poor social support, or a desire for a palliative approach to end-of-life care.
We also need to be clear on what dignity means in the context of a person’s death. To some, it could mean expiring quietly without seizures, vomiting, or bleeding out (i.e. no mess). To others, it may be feeling no pain or causing inconvenience to others. Still, to some people it may mean if you die in a car accident, at least you won’t poop your pants – you know, clean underwear and all.
Since the left is consumed with hastening the death of everything it touches, when these people utter the phrase “death with dignity” we know from experience that dignity is furthest from their minds. To the left, only the power of the state matters; all consequences are white noise. This is what confuses and infuriates the individual at his core.
The case of Charlie Gard is not about death with dignity but of the stupid and misleading term “universal health care” and the state making decisions for you when you reach this stage of life. Both the UK Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights – irony be thy name – refused to intervene. Worse, under the guise of pain management, the hospital where Charlie is currently being treated refuses to let Charlie go home to die with his parents.
I mean it when I say, “Screw you, Democrats. Screw you, Leftists.” What makes you think society is better when we can’t even attempt a treatment that, by the way, won’t cost you a penny, pence, or pound? What sick pleasure do you get from barring aggrieved parents from making every effort to save their son, or at least buy him a little more time on this earth? You whine about choice when murdering unborn babies like it’s the 11th Commandment but on a topic that should scream “CHOICE”, you even bar crickets from responding.
What dying with dignity means to the left is, “We don’t think your life is worth living, even if your life will not be defined as we see it. Therefore, it’s time for you to go — on our terms.”
Not long before my mom turned 83, her health deteriorated to the point of requiring a near-constant ventilator; she could take very brief stints without it to talk to us. When the doctors at the facility concluded that they did everything they could and there was no getting better or chance of living without the ventilator, she knew it was time, and made the choice to release herself from the extraordinary measures to keep her alive. It pains me to this day that she’s gone, but she held on as long as she could, and passed on her terms. She would not have been so lucky under the European “model.”
The left was apoplectic when Sarah Palin rightfully claimed Obamacare meant death panels. Well, here you go, ladies and gentlemen. This is exactly what’s happening to Charlie Gard. And with a feckless and cowardly GOP-controlled Congress, able but unwilling to repeal Obamacare, it’s what’s happening to America.
Welcome to utopia.
photo credit: zetson via photopin (license)
