file: /pub/resources/text/ProLife.News/1991: pln-0116.txt
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Life Communications - Volume 1, No. 16 November, 1991
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This newsletter is intended to provide articles and news information
to those interested in Pro-Life Issues. Questions to readers and
articles for submissions are strongly encouraged. All submissions
should be sent to the editor, Steve (frezza@ee.pitt.edu).
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(1) THE UNDERSIDE OF EUTHANASIA
by Pat. Buchanan
Ann Wickett Humphry, 49, was a modern woman. She had it all.
Blond-haired, blue-eyed and pretty, she was the daughter of a Boston
Banker, A Peace Corp volunteer, a student of Shakespeare who had
studied for a doctorate in English literature, an author and
co-founder with husband Derek of the "death with dignity" Hemlock
Society.
A month ago Ann Wickett Humphry went out and killed herself. Gary
Abrams of the Los Angeles Times describes her death: On Oct. 2 Ann
left Windfall Farm, her 50 acre ranch near Eugene, Ore. hitching up a
horse trailer with her favorite Arabian gelding, she drove to the mtn.
town of Sisters. She turned off toward Three Creeks Meadows, parked
saddled her horse, rode three miles up a trail, veered into the woods,
dismounted, removed saddle and bridal, turned her horse loose, sat
down,swallowed some pills and waited for death. Six days later,
sheriff's men spotted her blond hair in the decaying autumnal leaves.
Sound like a lovely way to die. It wasn't. Ann Wickett left a typed
suicide note full of bitterness and resentment. "There. You got what
you wanted," she wrote her ex-husband: "Ever since I was diagnosed as
having cancer, you have done everything conceivable to precipitate my
death...what you did, desertion and abandonment and subsequent
harassment of a dying woman, is so unspeakable there are not words to
describe the horror of it."
A copy of that note was sent to Rita Marker, who had become Ann's
close friend. "Rita," a hand-written postscript read: "Derek...is a
killer. I know. Jean actually died of suffocation. I could never say
it until now, who would believe me? Do the best you can. Ann."
Rita Marker heads the International Anti-Euthanasia Task Force, "Jean"
was Derek Humphry's first wife, subject of his best selling "Jeans's
Way" (written with Ann's help), in which Humphry describes the cup of
coffee he concocted with pain killers and an overdose of drugs, to end
her life. Jean was dying of incurable cancer.
The lonely death of Ann Wickett should expose the dark underside of
the right-to-die movement, before it wins [what would have been] its
greatest victory ever: In the state of Washington, the Nov.5 [approval
of] initiative 119 would [have] give[n] the United States the worlds'
first euthanasia law, granting a physician the right to kill a patient
who asked in writing to die, and whom two doctors had diagnosed as
having less than six months to live. The law would [have] also
permit[ed] the terminally ill to commit suicide with a doctor's help.
Because Derek Humphry heads Hemlock, because he is American's leading
advocate of assisted suicide whose how to kill yourself manual "Final
Exit' is another best-seller, his second wife's death is more than a
personal tragedy.
British journalist Cal McCrystal, who knew both when they were married
15 years ago, confirms much of Ann's story: "A month after I saw her"
in 1990 McCrystal writes, "she wrote that she was devastated" over her
husband's affair with a(a woman) half his age. She wrote "that Derek
is trying to kill me and I don't think there is any doubt about that -
help. I think Derek's role in death and dying dovetails with part of
him that is injured and indeed somewhat sinister. It's important for
him to play a part in encouraging people to die, even nudging them on
you might say."
Derek "has done everything conceivable," Ann wrote McCrystal, "To try
and sabotage any and all survival attempts..now flaunting publicly the
fact that he has a new mistress and has bought a new house for her.
He knows this will get back to me and he knows the killing effect of
this news. In a word: Is this a person who is trying to be loving and
supportive?" Humphry denies he smothered his first wife with pillow,
remains proud that he assisted her suicide, and admits participating
in the double suicide of Ann's parents. (Ann used her inheritance
from her parents to buy Windfall Farms.) At Hemlock, those who
remember Ann support Humphry's story that she was mentally unstable.
America has entered a post-Christian era. Men and women who
disbelieve in God and the immortality of the soul are no longer
willing to live by the old beliefs. they want their right to abort
unwanted children, to put terminally ill parents out of their misery,
to take their own lives, when they, and no one else, decided it is
time to die. They intend to make themselves the gods of their own
destiny. And if the law refuses to give them the freedom to do as
they demand, some, like Dr. Jack Kevorkian in Michigan and Derek
Humprhy at Hemlock, do as they wish, and let the law try to apprehend
and prosecute them.
The number of those who reject traditional morality as rooted in
superstition is now legion. Thirty years ago, there was a national
debate over whether a woman carrying a Thalidomide child should be
permitted to have an abortion. The woman had to fly to Sweden to get
it. Now there are 1.6 million legal abortions yearly in the United
States and abortion is, for a large segment America, a valid form of
birth control.
But just as "Silent Scream" pulled back the curtain, showing the
reality of abortion, an unborn child recoiling from the death needle,
perhaps the tragic end of Ann Wickett Humphry, in the Oregon
wilderness alone, will give us a glimpse of what lies behind that
comforting phrase "Death with Dignity."
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(2) IN THE NEWS...
Recently, the State of Washington has voted on two matters, that if
passed, would have rocked the nation. These were the infamous
initiatives 119 and 120:
Initiative 119 would allow doctors to assist in suicide of terminally
patients. Initiative 120 would allow the most liberal abortion laws
anywhere in country. Here is a summary of what they contain:
Initiative 119
119 will permit doctors to assist in the termination of life in
terminally ill patients. Certain provisions must be met:
1. The patient must be of sound mind.
2. Two doctors must agree that the patient has less than six months
to live.
3. (paraphrased) Intervenious food and water may be denied.
Comments:
119 requires neither that family notification be given, nor for
doctors to report the termination procedures performed, nor for any
peer reviews. This could allow abuses. Many fear that patients could
be pressured by family or others to "do the right thing" and not be a
burden on the family or society.
Many think this is the first stepping stone the kind of genocide
reminiscent of the Nazi plan to eliminate the poor, sick, retarded, and
finally the undesirable. They feel that once the euthanasia dike is
breached, killing for reasons less traumatic reasons will be much
easier.
Initiative 120
The pro-abortion forces all over the country are anticipating the
overturn of Roe vs Wade and are engaging in "pre-emptive strikes" on
the state level. Washington State presently has in effect abortion
laws that permit:
1. Abortion through the first 4 months of pregnancy.
2. Parental notification
3. Doctors must perform abortions.
Items 1 and 2 are in an un-enforced state right now due to Roe vs
Wade. Initiative 120, if passed, will allow and/or require
1. Abortion of pregnancy until "fetal viability" for any reason.
2. No spousal or parental notification.
3. The state must spend for abortion services and education, an
amount equal to that spent and maternity and infant services and
education.
4. Health care workers may assist in abortions.
5. Doctors who perform abortions will decide fetal viability and
their opinion and decision will be a defense in any litigation.
Anti 120 forces contend:
1. "Fetal Viability" in the initiative is too vaguely defined. Cases
could be made that the fetus is not viable until actually born.
The doctors who perform the actual abortions will the the only
judge of viability. No review process will protect women or the
unborn.
2. Vague language in the initiative will allow those other than
doctors to perform abortions.
3. Taxes will have to be increased to permit the added expense of
abortion services and education.
Initiative 119 was defeated 56%(against) to 44%(for) To my knowledge,
Initiative 120 was defeated, but the margin was so narrow that the
question may well be decided by the absentee ballots.
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(3) READER COMMENTARY ON "Death with Dignity:"
The voters in Washington rejected Initiative 119, officially known as
the Death With Dignity proposal, and I listened to various broadcast
reports of this fact. I noticed that all of the names given to the
proposal were generally positive. Unfortunately, proponents couldn't
omit the idea of death completely as with "pro-choice" instead of
"pro-abortion" but they could mask this killing in noble terms: "Death
with Dignity." Death is inevitable and dignity is certainly a good
thing. "Euthanasia" means a good death. "Mercy killing," which I
also heard, has the word "killing" but "mercy" is a very good thing, a
virtue in itself.
There will be other "Death With Dignity" proposals as initiatives or
as bills introduced in legislatures. While the controversy is still
fairly new there is a chance to influence the popular vocabulary.
I suggest the right to life movement generalize the name given to Dr.
Kevorkian and refer to these proposals as "Doctor Death" laws, bills,
etc.. This term is devoid of positive connotations and emphasizes that
the proposals would turn doctors, who are traditionally healers, into
killers.
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Incidentally, I trust it is obvious that one must not be obsessive
about using terms like that. A friend once reported hearing a
militant vegetarian on a radio talk show; The vegetarian constantly
referred to eating "dead flesh" even going back and correcting herself
when she once said "flesh" instead of "dead flesh". My friend
wondered why she was being so careful not to condemn the eating of
live flesh.
- Submitted by reader Marty Helgesen
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(4) ACL NORTHEAST REGIONAL TRAINING CONFERENCE
On November 15-17, American Collegians for Life is holding a Northeast
Regional Training Conference in Boston (at Harvard University). It
should be fun, and informative. Its supposed to be a weekend designed
to equip pro-life students with the organizational tools they need to
be effective. Interested parties can contact Mike Arnum at
BZMY@CORNELLA.cit.cornell.edu or by more conventional means at (607)
277-8312, Box #81, Willard Straight Hall, Ithaca, New York 14853-8201.
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(5) FEMINISTS FOR LIFE
We owe the conservatives our greatest thanks for carrying the pro-life
philosophy on. But what about the liberals? There are a lot of people
who do not have exactly conservative views towards society, and who've
been "excommunicated" from their own persuasion, because they happen to
be for the rights of the pre-born, out of consistency.
Are you one of these people? Then consider the Feminists for Life.
The Feminists for Life is one of the most mature and broad-minded
pro-life organizations of liberal persuasion. Only from them would you
ever find out that Susan B. Anthony and her feminist movement, strongly
opposed abortion!
For more info write: Feminists for Life
811 East 47th Street
Kansas City, MO 64110
(816) 753-2130
If you are a feminist at heart but espouse pro-life beliefs, please
contact cs35a216@athena.ecs.csus.edu (Steve Chaney).
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Quote of the month:
"No matter what the motive, love of ease, or a desire to save
from suffering the unborn innocent, the woman is awfully guilty
who commits the deed... but oh! thrice guilty is he who drove
her to the desperation which impelled her to the crime."
- Susan B. Anthony
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| Credits: |
|(2)- From the 11/3/91 edition of the New Hampshire News; Submitted |
| by reader Chris Bord. |
|QOM- From "The Revolution" 4(1): 4, July 8, 1869. Provided by |
| reader Steve Chaney |
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Anyone desiring information on specific prolife groups, literature,
tapes, or help with problems is encouraged to contact the editor.
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