We are told, by advocates of health care “reform,” that objections to government-initiated end-of-life counseling are irrational and even cruel. What, then, are we to make of “Your Life, Your Choices”?
“Your Life, Your Choices,” as Jim Towey explains in the WSJ, is the name of a booklet created for the VA health system. And it suggests that the slippery slope argument isn’t so crazy after all:
‘Your Life, Your Choices’ presents end-of-life choices in a way aimed at steering users toward predetermined conclusions, much like a political “push poll.” For example, a worksheet on page 21 lists various scenarios and asks users to then decide whether their own life would be ‘not worth living.’
And what sort of scenario would raise this question? Extraordinary, obviously hopeless situations? Nope:
The circumstances listed include ones common among the elderly and disabled: living in a nursing home, being in a wheelchair and not being able to ’shake the blues.’ … There also are guilt-inducing scenarios such as ‘I can no longer contribute to my family’s well being,’ and ‘I am a severe financial burden on my family.’
None of this is surprising considering the background of the booklet’s author:
Who is the primary author of this workbook? Dr. Robert Pearlman, chief of ethics evaluation for the center, a man who in 1996 advocated for physician-assisted suicide in Vacco v. Quill before the U.S. Supreme Court and is known for his support of health-care rationing.
So, please tell me again how crazy it is to worry that end-of-life counseling will lead to rationing by death advocacy. “Your Life, Your Choices” suggests that it is crazy NOT to worry about it.
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