Tuesday, September 05, 2006

First Things: Wesley J. Smith on Assisted Suicide as a Women's Issue

Robert T. Miller’s
entry about Jenni Murray’s suicide pact is indeed worth noticing, but primarily I think because of a point he does not explore. In addition to not wanting to be a burden, Murray groused about not wanting to be burdened by having to care for her aging parents. Publicity material from a documentary about her support for euthanasia described “Jenni” as “angry that, having fought so hard to become liberated and independent, women are now being trapped into caring for dependent parents.” Her answer, of course, is their euthanasia.

This is indeed a major reason why, historically, some (although I would hope not all) feminists embrace the legalization of assisted suicide as a women’s issue. Women get “stuck” caring for a family’s elderly and ill, don’t you see, and this interferes with their freedom. Hence, it is better to kill, er, provide death with dignity, to the sick, elderly, and disabled than be burdened with their care. After all, they don’t have lives worth living anyway, and such menial “women’s work” would just drag the good liberationist away from her important career and avocations.
the rest

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home