Occasionally, one comes across something that sounds so disheartening and so absurd that you really have to see it to believe it. I am referring to a brochure titled "Your Life, Your Choices". It was written in 1997 to give to veterans who visit VA hospitals, but was later suspended for some "questionable" ethics. Recently it has been reinstituted and to my understanding every physician in the VA is asked to refer this to veterans to help them plan.....something.
The main author, Dr. Robert Pearlman is a documented advocate of physician assisted suicide. I am going to copy some of the questions that are asked.
The title on page 21 of the document is "What makes your life worth living?"
Some example statements are:
-I can no longer walk but get around in a wheelchair.
-I can no longer get outside, I spend all day at home.
-I can no longer contribute to my family's well being.
-I need someone to help take care of me all the time.
-I can no longer control my bladder... my bowels.
-I can no longer think clearly, I am confused most of the time
-My situation causes severe emotional burden for my family (such as feeling worried or stressed all the time).
-I am a severe financial burden on my family.
-I can not seem to "shake the blues."
To each of these above mentioned statements there is an option to check one of these-- difficult but acceptable, worth living but just barely, or not worth living.
The page goes on says and I quote: "If you checked 'worth living but just barely' for more than one factor, would a combination of these factors make your life 'not worth living?' If so, which factors?
If you checked "not worth living" does this mean that you would rather die than be kept alive?"
Folks, this is absurd. I can think of no other way to describe it. To think that a depressed 20 some year old war vet could be handed this pamphlet by a physician after he has been wounded in combat;.....it just makes me sick.
For more info check out this opinion article in the WSJ
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204683204574358590107981718.html
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
The Front Porch
Last year when Jamie and I were considering building a home we looked at a number of house plans on the internet and other places. One thing I noticed almost universally: All the new home plans do not have a front porch that serves as anything but decorative, or as a rain shelter while you unlock your door. And these were pretty nice homes, 4 bed+ and very nice roof designs. They did all have, however, very large back decks.
We ended up not building a home but stayed in our current house. She was built in or around 1920. Luckily for us, old houses are not in very high demand in Macon and we considered our house quite a bargain when we purchased it, well below the national average in price. But when it was built I think it would have been considered on the upper end for our town. 3200 sq feet not including a full basement, 3 bath, 4 oak pillars in the entry, pocket doors and oak hardwood and fixtures everywhere. In fact the builder of this house had quite a vision for the future, because upstairs we have two bedrooms that are both 18x20 ft, both with walk in closets and one with a second closet. You just don't see these qualities often in old houses.
Anyway, back on track, our house has a 733 sq foot front porch. I know this because I have been over every inch a number of times in the last three months as I stripped off an outdoor carpet, glue and about 15 layers of paint. That might be a slight embellishment into the number of layers of paint, but I'm not sure. The original wood is in excellent condition and I can't wait to stain it.
Our back porch off the mudroom has about enough room for one adult and one dog and that's it. And I have noticed that the majority of old houses also have a large front porch. So this is interesting, when did the large size of porch move from the front to the back? What does this mean? And ( as we say in Inductive Bible study) what are the full implications of this switch?
We ended up not building a home but stayed in our current house. She was built in or around 1920. Luckily for us, old houses are not in very high demand in Macon and we considered our house quite a bargain when we purchased it, well below the national average in price. But when it was built I think it would have been considered on the upper end for our town. 3200 sq feet not including a full basement, 3 bath, 4 oak pillars in the entry, pocket doors and oak hardwood and fixtures everywhere. In fact the builder of this house had quite a vision for the future, because upstairs we have two bedrooms that are both 18x20 ft, both with walk in closets and one with a second closet. You just don't see these qualities often in old houses.
Anyway, back on track, our house has a 733 sq foot front porch. I know this because I have been over every inch a number of times in the last three months as I stripped off an outdoor carpet, glue and about 15 layers of paint. That might be a slight embellishment into the number of layers of paint, but I'm not sure. The original wood is in excellent condition and I can't wait to stain it.
Our back porch off the mudroom has about enough room for one adult and one dog and that's it. And I have noticed that the majority of old houses also have a large front porch. So this is interesting, when did the large size of porch move from the front to the back? What does this mean? And ( as we say in Inductive Bible study) what are the full implications of this switch?
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