A
CATALOG OF
WORRIES, PROBLEMS, DANGERS, PERILS, ABUSES, & MISTAKES
POSSIBLE UNDER ANY SYSTEM PERMITTING CHOSEN DEATH
Whenever laws are changed to permit a new form of
human behavior,
there are valid worries that bad consequences might follow from
changing the laws.
Some of these abuses and mistakes might be quite rare and unlikely,
but they nevertheless need to be taken into account
when safeguards are built into any new laws.
No system of safeguards will be fool-proof.
No matter what methods are used to prevent mistakes and abuses,
some bad consequences will still occasionally slip thru the system of
safeguards.
This is where the civil and criminal penalties come into play.
Whenever someone has been guilty of causing a premature death,
the criminal-justice system should have the capacity to uncover that
crime
and to prosecute the persons responsible.
Safeguards that permit the wise choice of voluntary death or merciful
death
should at the same time discourage irrational suicide and mercy killing.
This is the harm we
all want to avoid: dying too
soon.
The following is a list of the most common worries,
dangers, abuses, etc.
Other mistakes, problems, & perils can be added as they are
suggested.
Each possible problem with the right-to-die
is linked to a set of safeguards which will be effective in preventing
at least some of those specific abuses and mistakes.
PROTECTING
PATIENTS FROM GREEDY RELATIVES
PROTECTING
PATIENTS FROM FAMILY PRESSURE TO DIE
PROTECTING
PATIENTS FROM
HEALTH-CARE ADMINISTRATORS WHO MUST SAVE MONEY
PROTECTING
VULNERABLE PATIENTS FROM DISCRIMINATION
CERTAIN LIVES
ARE WORTHLESS
PROTECTING PATIENTS FROM BEING PUT TO DEATH
WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION
IF WE PERMIT
HELPFUL DEATHS,
HARMFUL DEATHS WILL FOLLOW
PREVENTING
MERCY KILLING
SUICIDE IS A
SIN AND OTHER RELIGIOUS OBJECTIONS
CONTROLLING
FREE-LANCE 'ANGELS OF DEATH'
PRESERVING
GOOD DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONS:
WILL MY DOCTOR DECIDE TO KILL ME?
DISCOURAGING
TEEN-AGERS FROM KILLING THEMSELVES