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At Large
Euthanasia, PG-13
Children given instructions on suicide.
As both a science-fiction author and teacher of political science, I have read a good deal of dystopian literature and political horror-stories about the future as nightmare, not to mention the holocausts which have existed not in imagination but reality.
What they have in common is a vision of a society in which individual human life has no value. Nor, of course, does individual conscience or belief.
I have previously described Britain today as showing features of “soft totalitarianism.” Recent news items suggest something a good deal nastier may be on the way unless there is a widespread moral regeneration.
One of the most shocking developments has been a video shown to 14-year-old children featuring assisted suicide campaigner Dr. Philip Nitschke, whose extremist attitudes have been condemned even by other pro-euthanasia groups.
Nitschke is shown on the video demonstrating a machine that delivers lethal injections. The film is already being shown to pupils as young as 14 in schools across the country. A program is also being made by the BBC.
There is footage of Nitschke giving workshops on assisted suicide methods. Also appearing in the program is one Michael Irwin, a former doctor and euthanasia campaigner who was struck off the medical register six years ago for attempting to assist a suicide.
The video, being shown as the BBC — now dominated by the hard left — is said to encourage assisted suicide. It actually films a man killing himself at the suicide Dignitas clinic in Switzerland. Writer Terry Pratchett, an outspoken advocate of euthanasia, presents the documentary, which is due to be broadcast on BBC2 this summer.
Producer and director Thomasina Gibson said of the video: “If you are going to treat teenagers as young adults you have to give them all sides of the argument and let them debate it and make their own minds up.”
Of course, the fact the that the program is being shown at all, with the connivance of the government education system, will have the effect of suggesting assisted suicide is socially and morally acceptable, even if, as the makers claim, opponents of assisted suicide will also be given a forum. One need only consider for a moment the effect of a debate between leading experts put out by a public broadcaster as to whether or not murder is acceptable — before an audience of children or adults — to see how simply depraved the whole concept is.
The long-term political purpose of this seems quite obvious: to prepare the population to accept the euthanasia of the old and expensive.
Phyllis Bowman of the anti-euthanasia campaign group Right to Life is quoted as pointing out other aspects of the matter:
“When Dr Nitschke gives his workshops he doesn’t know whether people have mental health problems or difficulties which would prevent them making an informed choice.
“We believe it’s irresponsible to put information on how to end your own life into the ether without knowing who it is going to. Nitschke’s extreme views are being foisted on young people at one of the most impressionable periods of their lives.”
She also intends to take the matter up with the government, whose Tory leadership, when it comes to social issues, appear to be basically sock-puppets for the far-left Liberal-Democrats. It will be interesting to see what the response will be.
The director of another anti-suicide program, psychologist Dr. Arthur Cassidy, is quoted as saying:
About the Author
Hal G.P. Colebatch’s “Immram,” Counterstrike, is being published by Australian publisher Imaginites.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (54) | Leave a comment
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Robbins Mitchell| 4.18.11 @ 6:27AM
Yea,teaching them to kill themselves before they've even started to live...yea,that's the ticket
henry| 4.18.11 @ 6:38AM
Nothing new here. What we need now is suicide centres and factories to make biscuits of the remains. Check out Soylent Green.
Brian Mc| 4.18.11 @ 6:39AM
Articles like this should open the eyes of liberals. That it doesn't causes me to shiver. The inherent wrong associated with these tenets of the left are shruggingly accepted to what end? When is it going to come time to show that decency is tired of playing these very deadly games that are constantly perptrated on the common good?
Appleby| 4.18.11 @ 7:19AM
Read Matthew 24. Lamps filled, wicks trimmed, eyes open. Oh, and make sure your family follows suit.
Britain is lost. The first Iranian nuke is being armed as we speak.
Ken (Old Texican)| 4.18.11 @ 9:05AM
Appleby, did you get part two yet?
www.americaalonesaidno.com
I Survived Arlen Specter| 4.18.11 @ 8:00AM
This is on its way here & anyone who doesn't believe so is naive. With the Federeral gov't still funding killing machines like Planned Infanticide don't be surprised when they announce they will be branching out into assisted suicide with help from your tax dollars. Anyone who believes The Stupid Party won a victory last week while continuing to fund abortion providers like Planned Infanticide are totally nuts! First they came for the children. Adults, your time is quickly approaching. You have a duty to die. It is only a matter of time. The left & Democrats are bloodthirsty & The Stupid Party are their spineless enablers.
Teaghan| 4.18.11 @ 8:07AM
And don't you think it's only a matter of time before this slipped in to Sex Ed class here in the good ole' US of A? Perhaps right after they let the girls know that they can get birth control and an abortion without their mother's knowledge or permission and how to put a condom on their boyfriend. History? Math? Ahh, who needs it!
nina in ma| 4.20.11 @ 5:19PM
Well, we already have a website funded by my tax dollars with information regarding abortions. They tell the kids it's not as bad as it sounds. The "contents of the womb" etc. BS! I wrote to my governor, not that that will do any good in this state, that I'm not happy that my $$ funds such a thing. So, now adults can get rid of the kids via suicides if they missed the class on abortions. OMG, my mother, God rest her soul, was a Brit thru and thru and I'm so glad she's not around to see this happening to her beloved homeland!
Booker | 4.18.11 @ 8:19AM
Mr Colebatch, I must again comment on your reporting of my country which I feel fails to paint an accurate picture (ditto the earlier articles on UK defence) and seems (again) to be based upon reports in the sensationialist and vitriolic Daily Mail newspaper.
Firstly, the video by Australian Dr Nitschke is not part of any government programme and is simply being produced by an educational video company as a resource which schools can buy if they wish. This is not illegal, and nor should it be.
Secondly, the Colin Atkinson story fails to stress that Mr Atkinson is in fact refusing to remove a personal accessory from a vehicle that he does not own. If an artefact from another religion had been involved, the situation would be the same. Customising your own vehicle is not an issue, but the same is not true of company vehicles. This is common sense and I would expect similar to apply in most countries.
You obviously have many issues with the UK, but this seems to be affecting the accuracy of your reporting. Perhaps trawling the Daily Telegraph might be a better idea?
Ken (Old Texican)| 4.18.11 @ 9:02AM
Booker,
perhaps your trawling in the sewer overcomes your filthy smell...to your own senses, but not to ours.
Mr. Atkinson is merely quietly witnessing his faith in Jesus Christ. Why don't you get someone to issue a fatwa for his death?
Jeamar37| 4.18.11 @ 4:11PM
Old Tex... Usually you sound pretty sensible. Can I use this as an ad hominem argument?
Purple Lips| 4.18.11 @ 9:24AM
And if Mr Atkinson, was say named Achmed, and he wished to display a crescent moon on the company vehicle? We all know what you would do and say. Fearing for your life and the life of your family, you would not only allow him to display the crescent moon, you would buy him an entire fleet of Mohamedmobiles decked out with gun toting jihadists and hot burqa babes!
PJ| 4.18.11 @ 10:09AM
Booker,
I think the point the video was produced & targeted to teenagers is 1 of the issues in this article.
Many teenagers go through "growing pains," making them vulnerable to such horrible messages. It wouldn't surprise me that a mentally confused teenager would end his/her life after watching this assisted suicide video.
Booker | 4.18.11 @ 10:36AM
This video is meant to be used as part of personal/social education and would (hopefully) be sensitively incorporated into a planned programme of study and the subject of considered discussion. I doubt that the video would encourage or insight anyone to take their own life. I would have to see the video to be able to comment further, but I certainly wouldn't rely on the regurgitation of stories from the British tabloid press as to the suitability of its content.
Steve A| 4.18.11 @ 10:55AM
Hey Booker, Show it to your kids & report back to us. Be sure to sensitively incorporate it into a planned programme of study on euthanasia.
Occam's Tool| 4.18.11 @ 1:14PM
Sorry, Booker, but I've worked with British Psychiatrists and NICE guidelines. This idiocy would be right in keeping with them. I suggest you familiarize yourself with the guidelines of The National Institute for Clinical Excellence, which is anything but.
Tim the Enchanter| 4.18.11 @ 1:35PM
Occam- have you ever read C.S. Lewis's "That Hideous Strength"? The name of the evil quasi-government entity in that book has the same acronym- NICE. Wonder if it was deliberate?
Occam's Tool| 5.15.11 @ 11:53PM
Don't know. NICE is quite scary, though. Ick.
The other problem I have with all of this is that I view euthanasia as a continuum on the Culture of Death. Abortion/euthanasia. two sides of the same ethos.
Occam's Tool| 5.15.11 @ 11:52PM
Dear Booker,
Perhaps you should read Anthony Daniels. I myself, worked with many UKers in my time in New Zealand, and, I must say, they drank like fish. Much heavier alcohol intake than I witnessed in Kentucky, for example.
The most popular boys' name in the UK is Muhammed. You are the dead.
Too Many Tims| 4.18.11 @ 8:43AM
To die in a battle, God knows when,
By God, but I know why.
And this is the word of Mary,
The word of the world's desire
No more of comfort shall ye get,
Save that the sky grows darker yet
And the sea rises higher."
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/T.....hite_Horse
Purple Lips| 4.18.11 @ 9:19AM
Just think of all of those wealthy Baby Boomers (the richest demographic in the nation), thier spoiled, greedy children and grand children. And now think of OBarryCare and the End of Life diktats which will soon be to a bureuacrat near you. Money, lawyers, bureaucrats, and slobbering aging hippies. What's not to like? It will be the greatest transfer of wealth through murder since the Holocaust.
If I were a 66 year old greying hipster with a McMansion, trophy wife, and $3-4 million in cash and investments, I would think seriously about emigrating to Belize and taking my money with me. Otherwise, one day you will be marked for termination.
One can only imagine the possibilities for future reality shows!
Petronius| 4.18.11 @ 10:07AM
For the left, doing A Clockwork Orange in the street is still not enough.
KyMouse| 4.18.11 @ 10:11AM
A lot of well-meaning people believe that each of us should have the right to end our lives if certain conditions are met (such as terminal illness). One thing they fail to realize is that the right to die becomes the duty to die.
We have seen it happen with abortion: Time and time again, the right to abort one's son or daughter has become the duty to do so. And if the mother refuses to kill her child, the baby's father beats her until she complies, or kills her to get rid of "the problem." Murder is often the leading cause of death for pregnant women.
Occam's Tool| 5.15.11 @ 11:55PM
Perfectly noted, KyMouse. You are a credit to your state.
Citizen Jerry| 4.18.11 @ 10:25AM
To Dr Nitschke, I would only say -- "You first."
kevorkianasaint| 4.18.11 @ 12:10PM
Personally I want to die when I feel like it. Why do you people want to force people to live? People should die or live as they please. Those who force people to live are just another reason I want to die.
Occam's Tool| 4.18.11 @ 1:15PM
It does not stop with personal choice.Check out the Netherlands.
Margie| 4.18.11 @ 2:40PM
Why, you ask?
Because there is no "right" to die.
Why is that?
Because God says so:
"No man has power to retain the spirit, or authority over the day of death; there is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it." Ecc. 8:8.
Aww shucks, there I go again, quoting the Words of God.
How dare I!
LFOD| 4.18.11 @ 9:02PM
Well done! This is why I'll still like you even if we have plenty else to disagree about. Here's another:
"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Margie| 4.18.11 @ 10:18PM
Aww, thanks, but where is your good name? Bring it back!
All is forgiven.
LFOD| 4.19.11 @ 11:04AM
Anything with my "good" name gets immediately "filtered" lately...
Margie| 4.19.11 @ 7:00PM
I KNOW that we agree on more than you think.
God bless you.
Occam's Tool| 5.15.11 @ 11:55PM
No one is forcing you to live. MDs should not be complicit in helping you to die.
Steve A| 4.18.11 @ 12:20PM
kevorkian, I would gladly pull your plug for you. Just give me a heads up when you need the favor.
Peppermint Tea| 4.18.11 @ 12:21PM
Does your signature mean, "kevorkian as ain't" ?
We're not forcing you to live. Britain is over. Europe is over. Look at the demographics. America is headed that way. To not have to listen to your whining would give us survivors a needed break. But since you say that forcing you to live makes you want to die, then maybe I should change my tune. Live--for heaven's sake--live!
Peppermint Tea| 4.18.11 @ 12:26PM
"God is dead" -Friedrich Nitschke
"Friedrich Nitschke is dead" -God
"Philip Nitschke preaches death" - Am Spectator
kevorkianasaint| 4.18.11 @ 12:37PM
My signature means Kevorkian is a saint. Thanks for the comments.
Tim the Enchanter| 4.18.11 @ 1:38PM
Please define "saint".
kevorkian| 4.18.11 @ 4:33PM
A saint is a person who is a leader in doing good things but sometimes ahead of the understanding of the masses.
Margie| 4.18.11 @ 10:24PM
Yes, but not in all cases~ sometimes the devil disguises himself as an angel of light ya know?
Anastasia Mather| 4.18.11 @ 12:46PM
One could perhaps forgive Mr. Pratchett as he has been diagnosed with a rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's. Don't agree with him, but I can understand his fear.
Unfortunately, for teenagers, unless parents and other family and friends are around to reiterate that life is constantly changing and what seems tragic and overwhelming at this time will change into anything from relief to joy, they will be susceptible to this BS.
Anastasia Mather| 4.18.11 @ 12:46PM
One could perhaps forgive Mr. Pratchett as he has been diagnosed with a rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's. Don't agree with him, but I can understand his fear.
Unfortunately, for teenagers, unless parents and other family and friends are around to reiterate that life is constantly changing and what seems tragic and overwhelming at this time will change into anything from relief to joy, they will be susceptible to this BS.
kevorkianasaint| 4.18.11 @ 2:11PM
So you guys just hate me whether I want to live or die then. Is that it?
Margie| 4.18.11 @ 3:10PM
No hate, I personally would just like to see you come to your right mind, and live.
kevorkian| 4.18.11 @ 4:38PM
I think I have been and quite a lot. And I think I know when I have had enough of it, for whatever reason.
Margie| 4.18.11 @ 10:22PM
I only said "come to your right mind" because taking your own life isn't right minded, that's all.
Kevorkian is no help. Trust God's love for you and He'll give you the strength you need in every situation. When we're weak, He is strong. :^).
Bruce | 4.19.11 @ 3:37AM
Reading this really hit home, since I live in Japan now. And as you probably know suicide is quite rampant here among all age groups. Especially with teens. For the most part, suicide attempts by teens do not succeed (mostly from lack of information on how to kill yourself effectively).
Education is a key here. But we don't want to educate them how to do a better job of it though.
Actually I, myself discovered a man hanging dead in a tree, here in Osaka city on the yodogawa river.
I wonder if he would have benefit from a video.
Bruce
Booker | 4.19.11 @ 7:34AM
This "article" has sparked some interesting responses. A shame that it is nothing more than the selective repackaging of tabloid scaremongering from this side of the Atlantic. The story about the euthanasia video is a joke, and the Colin Atkinson controversy is taken completely out of context. Entertaining? Up to a point. Serious journalism? No way.
If Mr Colebatch wants to continue with his obsessive trashing of the UK, fine. He could at least find something worth reporting. This article deserves the same contempt that Mr Colebatch seems to show his readers. I look forward to his next instalment on the decline and fall of the UK with interest.
Incidently, I am intrigued as to what it is about us that upsets him so much. Smarting Australian pride over the recent loss of the Ashes, perhaps?
Therese| 4.19.11 @ 8:43AM
Can't you picture the future? These children will grow up thinking it's perfectly all right to kill off the elderly because they consume too much carbon footprint, or are costing too much in health care, or because they might want to get their gleeby hands on mom and dad's money and don't want to wait 'til their natural deaths. What kind of a world are the Leftists creating? It is truly frightening to behold how they are warping young minds. Parents, homeschool your children and protect them from popular culture's agenda!
synthetic rope winch | 4.20.11 @ 4:21AM
There is obviously a lot to know about this. I think you made some good points in Features also.
Christian Louboutin | 6.23.11 @ 6:23AM
What they have in common is a vision of a society in which individual human life has no value. Nor, of course, does individual conscience or belief.
Creative Recreation | 8.10.11 @ 10:12PM
is good