Forget the reassurances given to you by euthanasia advocates: "only in the case of terminal illness", "only for people in unbearable pain", "just for the hard cases." Yes, well we've heard that before, haven't we?Ludwig Minelli, the director of Dignitas, the Swiss suicide outfit, is at least upfront about the motives of the euthanasia movement. Dignitas has assisted almost 900 people in ending their lives, including more than 100 from the UK. Pro-euthanasia groups in this country try to distance themselves from disreputable individuals like Minelli whilst at the same time using the existence of these facilities to manipulate public opinion.
According to Minelli, assisted suicide is a "marvellous, marvellous possibility for a human being" which should be available for absolutely anybody, including those suffering from depression, and it is quite a little money-saver for the state.
"For 50 suicide attempts you have one suicide and the others are failing with heavy costs on the National Health Service", says Minelli. "If we would have another attitude to suicide, saying suicide is a very good possibility to escape. In many, many cases they are terribly hurt afterwards sometimes you have to put them in institutions for 50 years. Very costly."
His comments simply do not reflect reality. Many suicide attempts are what is known as parasuicides, cries for help that are not intended to end in death. Yes, suicidal people may need ongoing help and support, but the argument that they are financial liabilities who should be put out of the nation's misery is so heartless as to be worthy of Nazi Germany. We mustn't forget that the euthanasia movement is just another heartless facet of the culture of death. Fortunately, its advocates are becoming careless and are making their real motives increasingly obvious.
