10 February 2012

Every shade of red



Over the last few weeks the same couple of topics have swum through the oceans of news to bite me.

The first is euthanasia. The second abortion. I know and you know that the practice of and attitudes to  the two are inextricably linked, but obviously not in the secular world, because it's all 'choice, choice, choice'.
 
The first big issue, the disrespect heaped upon many of the elderly, makes me see every shade of red there is. This week I've heard of another elderly lady dehydrated to death in hospital because, well, she's old. I'm sure had she realised she was going to be dehydrated to death on admission to hospital, she might have declined, and said she could very well 'forget' to drink in her own home, thank you very much.

Anyone I speak to seems to have the same stories to tell, and have been more or less impotent to do anything about it in the face of the 'medical profession'. I make no apologies for the speech marks, there is nothing 'medical' about dehydrating someone to death. It's torture.

Now, again, we have more noise from government once more suggesting the elderly get jobs, and move out of their own homes. The arrogance is quite simply breathtaking.

Abortion is absolutely another thing that makes me see all shades of red. It's the hypocrisy associated with it that I find so utterly galling. The report here about Texas, and the ruling concerning the viewing of their unborn by any woman considering abortion, really does highlight the hypocrisy of the, again, 'medical' profession regarding the value of life. Nigella (she won't mind me repeating her)commented that:
Why is everyone so 'shocked and appalled'?

You are shown the xrays when you break your leg, if abortion's so easy, common place, risk and consequence free, and run of the mill, and you have free choice, why complain about being shown an ultrasound of your baby before the abortion?

It's like people getting het up about being shown photos of aborted babies. Why so squeamish, it's not illegal, is it?

Let's not be coy.
     

It's so not nice to talk about murdering the elderly and the unborn. Like everyone else, sometimes I'd actually rather put my head in the sand and pretend it doesn't happen, but like I said, these two things have a habit of swimming up to bite me. I'm off to say a rosary.

6 comments:

david said...

Annie this has all resulted from what I call the wedge effect.Society lets a little thing happen thinking that it wont really matter and the same goes with the bishops allowing abuses in the liturgy to creep in.We need to go back to being judgemental and say this is not right in a so called civilized society.England is supposed to be The Dowry of Mary what has become of us to let this happen.

Anneli Figura said...

Thanks for this post, Annie. As you say, the issue of pre-abortion ultrasound scans really brings into focus the hypocrisy, double-speak and "brushing under the carpet" that the abortion industry depends on. The ultrasound shows the simple Truth of what the doctor and woman are proposing to do in the abortion... but unfortunately simple (i.e. objective) Truth is not a fashionable concept in 2012! I hope you don't mind but I have referred to your post on the St John's Pro-Life blog site,http://stjohnsprolife.blogspot.com/

Annie said...

Thanks David and Anneli.

St John's pro-life's going on the sidebar!

Anneli Figura said...

Thanks Annie. See you at the Missa Solemnis on 27 February perhaps! A couple of us from the pro life group are planning to go.

Supertradmum said...

A friend of mine who lived in southern Kent has cancer and she has already, in the early stages, been offered euthanasia as a possibility. This is not a new idea, as I remember a man in our parish many years ago in Hampshire, who was in a coma, who was starved to death rather than allowed to live with help. I was there when the decision was made and was the only voice out of five to object. That was in 1994. To think that these things have not been happening already is naive, and sadly, with the consent of Catholic family members, as those above were all Catholic. That Catholics here have allowed and tolerated evil in their midst is a theme of mine on my blog. I cannot tell you how many conversations with Catholics I have had in which such have agreed to allow evil in their families, with their friends etc, rather than point out the moral issues. It is a serious cultural failing among Catholics. There are only two people, sometimes three, who pray outside the Maidstone abortion mill weekly. Why are there not more? Toleration of evil.

Anneli Figura said...

I agree, Supertradmum, but also think that simple ignorance is a factor too. It is surprising how many Catholics are not clear about the Church's basic teachings on a variety of pro-life topics. Given this vagueness, combined with an emotionally very difficult situation and the prevailing type of advice they will be getting from many medical professionals and from the media,it is perhaps not surprising that they make such tragic decisions. Education and awareness raising is vital, but not always easy to organise in such a way that it reaches people...