LifeNet

Wesley Smith: "Euphemisms for Killing"

A good, short summary. As the late Msgr. William Smith said "Before social engineering comes verbal engineering."

The current favorite of the culture of death: "Aid in Dying."

Excerpts below; the entire article is nine paragraphs.

Words matter. The terminology we employ not only reflects our values but helps to define them. Language is particularly important in bioethical debates, in which dehumanizing verbiage can distance us from our fellow human beings.

Words also have the power to degrade the human dignity of born and grown people. A classic example is the pejorative term “vegetable,” referring to those with severe cognitive disabilities and impairments. Even the diagnostic term used to describe the condition of permanently unconscious patients—“persistent vegetative state”—is pejorative, perhaps the only explicitly demeaning medical term. (Why not use the perfectly accurate “persistent unconscious state”?) The V-word has the effect—and in some cases, indeed, the purpose—of excluding these human beings from the moral community and exposing them to oft-proposed forms of oppression and exploitation—such as allowing them to be used for live-organ harvesting and as subjects in medical experimentation.

We see the same phenomenon in our debates around end-of-life care and assisted suicide. The Dutch euthanasia practitioner Dr. M.A.M. Wachter, ethicist/director for the Institute of Health in the Netherlands, made this point explicitly when he appeared at a 1990 international euthanasia society convention. “The definitions build the road to euthanasia,” he stated, explaining that even the word “euthanasia” (“good death”) could harm the cause, because people naturally recoil from the killing act.

Thus, Wachter urged his audience to prevaricate and obfuscate: “Definitions are not neutral. They are not just the innocent tools that allow us to describe reality. Rather, they shape our perceptions of reality. They select. They emphasize. They embody a bias. Therefore, definitions constantly need redefinition.” This is precisely why the Hemlock Society, an assisted-suicide advocacy organization, changed its name to Compassion and Choices and now deploys the euphemism “aid in dying” in its media and advocacy materials.

Assisted suicide/euthansia Bill passes in NY Assembly

On a surprise vote with no public comment or debate. No surprise about that.

The Assisted Suicide Bill passed the Assembly Health Committee and has been referred to the Codes Committee.  It still has a ways to go before going to the Assembly floor for a vote.

Assisted Suicide Bill Vote

A10059 Summary:

BILL NO	A10059
SAME AS	SAME AS S07579
SPONSOR	Paulin
COSPNSR	Rosenthal, Gottfried, Dinowitz, Galef, Hevesi, Steck, Zebrowski, Blake
MLTSPNSR	Braunstein, Crouch, Duprey, Skartados
Add Art 28-F §§2899-d - 2899-t, Pub Health L
Relates to the medical aid in dying act; relates to a terminally ill patient's request for and use of medication for medical aid in dying.

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A10059 Actions:

BILL NO	A10059
05/10/2016	referred to health
05/23/2016	reported referred to codes

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A10059 Committee Votes:

Committee:HEALTH Chair:Gottfried DATE:05/23/2016  AYE/NAY:14/11 Action: Favorable refer to committee Codes
Gottfried	Aye	Raia	Nay
Schimminger	Nay	McDonough	Excused
Galef	Aye	Goodell	Nay
Dinowitz	Aye	Ra	Nay
Cahill	Nay	Walter	Nay
Paulin	Aye	Garbarino	Nay
Cymbrowitz	Nay	Duprey	Aye
Peoples-Stokes	Nay
Gunther	Nay
Rosenthal	Aye
Hevesi	Aye
Lavine	Aye
Titone	Aye
Mayer	Nay
Jaffee	Aye
Steck	Aye
Abinanti	Aye
Braunstein	Aye
Kim	Aye

Little Sisters of the Poor score win for Religious Freedom - in brief + links

The fact that the Supreme Court unanimously sent their case back to the lower court to get a settlement satisfactory to the Sisters - everyone sees this as a win for Religious freedom.

Here are some commentaries on the case -

Bill McGurn, WSJ columnist -

Big Win for Little Sisters

To begin with, the justices vacated the lower-court rulings the sisters were fighting. The parties, the court said, should have another opportunity to work out a way to deliver contraceptives that doesn’t violate the religious objections of the Little Sisters and their co-plaintiffs.

Most important, the Supreme Court took away the administration’s tool for bullying: The government, it said, “may not impose taxes or penalties” on those who refuse to authorize their plans to provide the contested coverage.

From Ed Mechmann at the NY Archdiocese -

Victory for Religious Freedom

There are a couple of crucial take-aways from this.

• All along, the argument by the religious non-profits has been that they don't want to be involved in providing abortion and contraception services that they find morally offensive.
• This ruling vindicates that argument, and sends a clear signal to the government that they can't force religious people to violate their religious beliefs by threatening them with ruinous fines.
• The ruling also makes clear that it is not the business of the government or courts to tell people when their religious beliefs are burdened by a law. The Court's decision is a direct rebuke to the lower courts who substituted their judgement about Catholic and Christian belief for the plaintiffs.
• The government has not been told in no uncertain terms that they have to be more accommodating of religious belief, and more creative in coming up with ways to achieve their goals without burdening religious beliefs.
• The government's parsimonious view of religious freedom has now been dealt its fourth consecutive major blow -- starting with the Hosanna Tabor case, through Hobby Lobby, and now with Zubik, the Court is sending a clear message that the constitutional recognition of religous freedom has to be given special weight when it is negatively impacted by government policies. 

The Becket Fund Press release -

Unanimous Win for Little Sisters at Supreme Court

WASHINGTON, D.C. –Today the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the government cannot fine the Little Sisters of the Poor.  The Supreme Court vacated the lower court rulings against the Little Sisters, accepting the government’s admission that it could meet its goals of providing the free services to women without involving the Little Sisters or using their plan.  The Court also ordered the lower Courts to help the government choose an alternative method of providing the services that does not require the participation of the Little Sisters.

And from the Scotusblog, here is a "neutral analysis" - thanks to Ed Mechmann for sending us this link.

Without settling any legal issues surrounding the Affordable Care Act’s birth-control mandate, the Supreme Court on Monday nevertheless cleared the way for the government to promptly provide no-cost access to contraceptives for employees and students of non-profit religious hospitals, charities, and colleges, while barring any penalties on those institutions for failing to provide that access themselves. Thirteen separate cases were sent back to federal appeals courts for them to issue new rulings on the questions the Justices left undecided.

 

No. Westchester & Putnam Center for Life Annual Breakfast Honors Dechiario and Garber!

The 16th annual pro-life breakfast of the Northern Westchester & Putnam Center for Life Educational Trust took place on Saturday, April 16, 2016 at the Holiday Inn in Mount Kisco. The guest speaker was Father Charles Caccavale, professor of Moral Theology at St. Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie on the prescient topic, "The Moral Perspective on Physician Assisted Suicide". It was a great morning in every way! Here are some highlights.

The day's deserving honorees were Joy Dechiario of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Pelham Manor who received the Maureen Terelli Award, and B. Michael Garber of St. Joseph's Church in Somers who received the Frankenberry Award.

County Executive Rob Astorino greeted the crowd with his consistent and positive message in defense of human life.

The large crowd gathers for a delicious brunch in honor of Joy and Mike and to hear Father Caccavale speak on the moral perspective of physician-assisted suicide.

Father Charles Caccavale Professor of Moral Theology, St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie

Alan was a great master of ceremonies, introducing honorees, speakers, guests, politicians, priests and religious attendees.

Suzi McDonough introduced herself to us. She's running for Assemblyman Katz's District 94 seat.

Phil Oliva (below) is running for the 18th Congressional District.

A beaming Joy Dechiario graciously thanks Alan Mehldau for the recognition she said really belongs to him.

An excellent promoter, Joy thanks Alan and then encourages all of us to attend the fall PAC fundraiser and send in those wonderful ads for the fundraiser's journal. It reads more like a prayer book with heartfelt poems, prayers, and memories. Thank you, JOY!!

B. Michael Garber from St. Joseph's Church in Somers accepts his award from the Center for Life's Educational Trust.

Thanks to the over-110 attendees - it's always a great event!