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Mar. 29, 2005 I spend a lot of my time these days wondering precisely what is going on with the so called "Moral Majority" on this planet. My only conclusion thus far is that they represent neither the "majority" or a position which is particularly "moral". I mean, the amount of legal lunacy with regards to social basics such as the sanctity of life is baffling. The same government which eagerly puts people to death on the basis of procedurally unsound prosecutions fighting to prevent people in constant pain and persistent vegetative states [Terri Schiavo] from dying peacefully as per their own express wishes? Anyone else out there confused by this hypocrisy? Now I'd like to claim some knowledge of the strange and peculiar state of mind known as humanity, both by virtue of having lived among it for so long and by having a Masters degree in Anthropology - which, it must be said, serves no real use outside of sticking my oar into endless debates about all things sociological. So from that (un)qualified basis, the purpose of today's missive is to propose a piece of moral rationality which would nicely solve a fair few of our recurring social conflicts. In case you were worried, I'm not getting into the God thing here - Morality as far as I'm concerned is merely a collective social mechanism to aide the behavioural cohesion of the group. Religion is just another manifestation of this mechanism of behavioural control, as much a product of society as a shaper of it. So what Rationality am I ranting on about here? Well, it's a topical proposition; the fundamental rule that the only person who has a right to decide whether you live or die is yourself. Yes, a right to suicide, voluntary Euthanasia and the right to not be killed by anyone else. Imagine the horrors such a sensible rule would reveal. Firstly, there would be no more of these "right to die" conflicts - voluntary termination would be accepted as a fundamental human right. If you decide that a life of suffering is not worth the aggravation, then you have the right to end it humanely at any point. No court time required. If the individual is unable to make the decision themselves, nobody else must be permitted to step in and make it for them. Nobody else has the right. Secondly, we would finally do away with the barbaric practises of capital punishment. Taking another person's life is murder - the state has no more right to do this than the individual. At the basic level, a government needs to at least try and attain some moral high ground in its own country - it can never achieve this if it punishes the crime of murder with a murder of its own. Now I'm not at any point joining the anti- abortion "Pro Life" camp here; I'm pro-choice simply because a woman's rights must always outway the hypothetical rights of what is, after all, merely a parasitical growth in her womb - at least until it gets born. It's all a matter of definition; a foetus is just a foetus - part of its mother until it is released into the wild to breathe and feed for itself - and a mother's wishes come first. What I'm saying is that we must respect the rights of every individual to end their life when, how and if they want to. No question. Of course support and counselling must be offered to those who are toying with the ideas of self termination and voluntary Euthanasia - but in the end, the machineries of the state should not be able to enforce their will on the individual at any level. They have as little right to stop an individual ending their life as they have to end it for them. ------------ About the author: Simon Maslin is a cynical English writer and guitar player. He has published a novel and several other books through www.lulu.com and interfaces with the universe largely through his website www.maslinbooks.co.uk. Email: simon@maslinbooks.co.uk Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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