OLYMPIA — Former Washington Gov. Booth Gardner, who has battled Parkinson’s disease for more than 14 years, says he will promote an assisted-suicide initiative for Washington in 2008, and predicted state voters would follow the lead of neighboring Oregon in approving it.
Washington voters rejected an assisted-suicide initiative in 1991, but "I think it will pass this time," he told The Associated Press in an interview.
Gardner, 69, told The AP Tuesday that he hasn’t yet decided on the scope of the initiative. However, if it follows the outline of the 1991 measure, it would allow a health care provider to prescribe lethal doses of medicine for patients who are within their final months of life with an incurable and irreversible condition.
…She said she had made no decision on how she would vote as an individual.
"I have to search my soul and my Catholic faith," Gregoire said. [Source]
Well you know how that battle usually goes with politicians. Now you can’t use Google on your soul, but it isn’t too hard to search the Catholic faith to find that euthanasia is an intrinsic evil.
Similarly we also have:
GARDEN CITY, N.Y., Feb. 7 — Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi announced a plan on Tuesday intended to reduce abortions, calling the proposal a "politically risky" step as he contemplates running for governor this year. Even as he was speaking, an abortion rights group issued a statement criticizing the plan.
Mr. Suozzi’s proposal would give nearly $1 million in county grants to groups including Planned Parenthood and Catholic Charities to promote birth control, adoption, housing for unwed mothers and abstinence. He proposes spending similar amounts in each of the next two years.
…Mr. Suozzi, a Roman Catholic, supports legalized abortion, but his plan to reduce the number of abortions helps position him as a moderate. In bringing disparate groups together, he also portrays himself as a conciliator and problem-solver. [Source]
Again why do politicians want to reduce something that they also say is not morally wrong?
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Euthanasia, abortion…it’s all murder. In Oregon they protect the forests and wildlife, but not the rights of the innocent to be born, and yes, Washington wants to foloow suit, but so far it hasn’t made it—so far. And euthanasia is just an offshoot of murder. The latest law allows pesticide testing on foster kids, and testing on innocent humans who are considered incapable (mentally retarded and so forth) of making decisions on their own. So we now allow humans to be guinea pigs too! What next??
Regarding the first part, I remember bits and pieces of a great anecdote about a politician who told the press that he was wrestling with his conscience about voting for a particular issue aboutbwhich he had expressed grave reservations. He later voted for it anyway, prompting a commentator to remark, “He wrestled with his conscience . . . and won!”
Politicians are first of all the consummate salespersons of themselves. This primary vocation often causes them to hold and espouse what appears to be contradictory (and some might say hypocritical) viewpoints at the same time. In Illinois, we have Catholic politicians hanging like ripe fruit on the abortion lobbies’ trees, and claiming at the same time to be devout Catholics. And this holds true for many of our Repubilicans as well. I am sure that this is common to all fifty states.
The question is better answered by getting hold of the lyrics to “The Vicar of Bray.” While written about a totally vacillating cleryman, it could now be also well applied to so many of our political caricatures.
Is there any canon law obstacle to excommunicating people like that? Pretty much every Democrat would be gone.
“Using google on your soul”….. love it!
This reminds me of something from A Man for All Seasons that I blogged on here. Catholic politicians haven’t changed in a very long time.
I believe you misquoted Gregoire as saying
“I have to search my soul and my Catholic faith,”
when I believe the actual quote was:
“I have to search for my soul and my Catholic faith,”
This makes the rest of the article fully cogent.
I would suggest that we all ask for the intercession of John Paul the II to change Gardner’s (and Gregoire’s) minds. Gardner must be very afraid of needing others and losing his autonomy, to prefer death to dependency.
John Paul, who had to carry just such a cross due to the very same illness, could be a powerful messenger and help to him.
Funny how I dont quite recall John Paul at any Rite to Life March’s, or his Cardinals or Bishops for that matter. Father Pavone yes, SSPX and SSPV and all traditionals and Evangelicals by the busloads-the Vatican ? JPII? He was very busy piling up frequent flier miles and getting movies made about himself
Good post Jeff. You should cross-post it over at Catholics in the Public Square.
Great Blog, Being from Massachusetts this is a major problem.
John, I attended the last two Marches for Life in DC. Each time there were more than a dozen bishops MARCHING with their flocks, not to mention the hundreds of priests and sisters.
Can you imagine what a security nightmare it would be to try to get the POPE marching? He’s not even allowed in an open car, for goodness’ sake! It’s a bit like saying that President Bush doesn’t REALLY support Pro Lifers because he only calls and doesn’t march with us.
Christine, that exactly what quite a lot of the RadTrads do say about the president. I must say John has done what I had scarcely thought possible, and raised still higher the bar of Lefebvrist fatuity. For Heaven’s sake, what an asinine complaint. If the Holy Father took it into his head to join the March, the rest of wouldn’t be able to march because it would be imperative to keep the tightest security around him at all times. Are you so proud of yourself for attending the March that you feel entitled to accuse everyone who didn’t attend of insufficient fervor in the prolife cause?
John Paul II marched for life every time he came out in public with his shaking, his drooling and his suffering. If you heard the evil, nasty comments when he came to Toronto for the last Youth Day – people acted as if he should just go shut himself up in Vatican City and stop embarrassing himself. Or more likely, embarrassing THEM.
Because there’s a really awful embarrassment that comes to people when they see someone physically suffering or mentally impaired. The Christian response is supposed to be to identify with the person and respond with love. But the modern answer seems to be, “Go away or die so that I don’t have to think about you.”
John, I’m so offended by your comments that I wondered just how to tell you off. But I’m going to put you in my 54-day novena. In other words, I’m telling Mom! Boy, are you in trouble now!
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