The problem is they’ve got us coming and going. “I don’t want to be a burden” isn’t just a problem individualists have to face. For them, with life’s value being on individual choice and independence, MAiD is the ultimate in personal autonomy. But collectivists aren’t off the hook either. The argument can be made (and probably already has been) that it’s one’s patriotic duty/duty to the community to be a good steward of resources and die rather than taking up money and medicine and beds and staff time that could be spent on someone with a better chance to recover and not be a burden when you can no longer contribute to the community.
I just don’t know how to argue against MAiD without getting criticized for invoking the slippery slope “fallacy” (scare quotes because it’s no longer a fallacy when it’s been shown to be happening).
The United Church of Canada "prayers" are just ghastly...
Excellent piece. MAiD-like legislation is being considered in the U.S. too. I myself wrote on the subject.
The problem is they’ve got us coming and going. “I don’t want to be a burden” isn’t just a problem individualists have to face. For them, with life’s value being on individual choice and independence, MAiD is the ultimate in personal autonomy. But collectivists aren’t off the hook either. The argument can be made (and probably already has been) that it’s one’s patriotic duty/duty to the community to be a good steward of resources and die rather than taking up money and medicine and beds and staff time that could be spent on someone with a better chance to recover and not be a burden when you can no longer contribute to the community.
I just don’t know how to argue against MAiD without getting criticized for invoking the slippery slope “fallacy” (scare quotes because it’s no longer a fallacy when it’s been shown to be happening).