Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!yale!bunker!wtm
From: era@ncar.ucar.edu (Ed Arnold)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: euthanasia
Message-ID: <10698@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 16 Mar 90 05:44:17 GMT
References: <10607@bunker.UUCP>
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Reply-To: era@ncar.ucar.edu (Ed Arnold)
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Organization: Scientific Computing Division/NCAR, Boulder, CO
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Index Number: 7200

In article <10607@bunker.UUCP> Pat.Goltz@f3.n300.z1.fidonet.org writes:
|Index Number: 7139
|  I think that euthanasia is a very great threat to the handicapped. 
|This is because it is generally expensive to help a disabled person to 
|function as normally as possible. Other people are often not willing to 
|bear the expense. All many of them need to push them over the fence into 
|not being willing to bother is the idea that it is legitimate to 
|question the quality of life of others.

... and questioning the quality of life of others is something we're
starting to see more of in the health-care mess.  States which are
attempting to deal with the health-care crisis by establishing
"prioritized" systems (e.g. Oregon), will probably end up shortchanging
disabled people unless each one of us creates a real ruckus.

In this state, the legislator who is trying to pass such a bill to take
care of the medically indigent, has established special-interest
committees; and persons with disabilities were not included.  It was
obvious from questioning her that she had not thought through the
issues of how one defines quality of life for persons with disabilities.
Neither had her M.D. henchman.

If you see this happening in your state, be sure to find out whether
persons with disabilities are included in the committees and other
groups supplying legislative input.  Otherwise, the decisions on
priorities will end up being made by M.D.s, and it should be obvious
where most of them stand.
--
Ed Arnold * NCAR * POB 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000 * 303-497-1253(w)
era@ncar.ucar.edu [128.117.64.4] * era@ncario.bitnet * era@ncar.uucp
"See, the human mind is kind of like ... a pinata.  When it breaks open,
there's a lot of surprises inside."	--Jane Wagner/Lily Tomlin