"... we
must be wary of those who are too willing to end the
lives of the elderly and the ill. If we ever decide
that a poor quality of life justifies ending that
life, we have taken a step down a slippery slope
that places all of us in danger. There is a
difference between allowing nature to take its
course and actively assisting death. The call for
euthanasia surfaces in our society periodically, as
it is doing now under the guise of "death with
dignity" or assisted suicide. Euthanasia is a
concept, it seems to me, that is in direct conflict
with a religious and ethical tradition in which the
human race is presented with " a blessing and a
curse, life and death," and we are instructed
'...therefore, to choose life." I believe
'euthanasia' lies outside the commonly held
life-centered values of the West and cannot be
allowed without incurring great social and personal
tragedy. This is not merely an intellectual
conundrum. This issue involves actual human beings
at risk..."
-- C. Everett Koop, M.D. *
*taken from the book KOOP, The Memoirs of America's
Family Doctor by C. Everett Koop, M.D., Random
House, 1991. |
