Say It Ain't So

A friend recently forwarded a link to an article entitled, "Killing Babies, Compassionately: The Netherlands follows in Germany's footsteps." Written in an American political journal called the Weekly Standard (with which I'm otherwise not so familiar), the article raises some pretty serious concerns about Dutch medical policies -- most notably in regard to euthanizing babies with birth defects. And honestly, I don't know what to think of it.

Is this true? Is the Dutch public aware of this practice? Are people bothered by it?

I've always been a bit uncomfortable with Dutch policies toward things like euthanasia, institutional prostitution, and managing the problems of drug addiction -- but I've tried to bite my lip and take my cues from the population at large. I've sought to learn about the Netherlands' "normen en waarden" as I go. I continually try to understand before judging. I remind myself that America is messed up in its own ways (and in ways that are painfully obvious to the rest of the world). But this article definitely seems to indicate something seriously amiss in Dutch society...

I've got my opinions against euthanasia and abortion, and I natrually resist arguments in favor of the "right to choice" -- but I don't understand how anyone could advocate medical homicide against newborn children. The issue of "choice" is thrown clear out the window. What disturbs me most is the idea that infants are sometimes euthanized even without parental consent!

Is it a stretch to compare ultra-tolerant Dutch medical policy to social-Darwinistic Nazi medical policy? Absolutely. But there are some scary parallels that should not and cannot be ignored.