The Netherlands is embracing a new way of treating those with autism and other intellectual disabilities, and it’s quite disturbing.
In fact, stray dogs are treated better. Researchers found that certain disabled individuals have been EUTHANIZED in recent years. A fact so shocking, it literally gives me a stomach ache to just type the words.
However, at least five autistic people, all under the age of 30, were part of a case study at the U.K.’s Kingston University. All of these people sought to be euthanized.
Fox News writes:
“Factors directly associated with intellectual disability and/or ASD were the sole cause of suffering described in 21% of cases and a major contributing factor in a further 42% of cases,” Kingston University’s report on the issue found.
The study noted that in many cases, doctors determined there was “no prospect of improvement” for intellectually challenged individuals because there is no treatment for their handicap.
“Reasons for the EAS [euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide] request included social isolation and loneliness (77%), lack of resilience or coping strategies (56%), lack of flexibility (rigid thinking or difficulty adapting to change) (44%) and oversensitivity to stimuli (26%). In one-third of cases, physicians noted there was ‘no prospect of improvement’ as ASD and intellectual disability are not treatable,” the study reads.
Palliative care specialist Irene Tuffrey-Wijne — one of the lead authors of the Kingston University report — found Dutch doctors were legally killing patients who sought their own euthanasia because their intellectual disability or mental condition prevented them from leading a normal life, according to The Associated Press.
One record includes the case of a Dutch woman in her 30s with autism and borderline personality disorder. Doctors determined her afflictions prevented her from maintaining relationships and made forming connections with others “too difficult.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind these people were suffering,” Tuffrey-Wijne said. “But is society really OK with sending this message, that there’s no other way to help them, and it’s just better to be dead?”
Dutch psychologist Dr. Bram Sizoo expressed horror at the trend of autistic youths seeking assisted suicide and euthanasia’s expanding acceptance.
“Some of them are almost excited at the prospect of death,” Sizoo said. “They think this will be the end of their problems and the end of their family’s problems.”
The Royal Dutch Medical Association has left the decision of who qualifies for assisted suicide up to medical professionals with few hard guidelines or rules.
The Burning Questions
There are so many questions forming in my mind right now. For example, who decides which medical professionals are qualified to make decisions regarding these individual cases of euthanasia? How do we know if these same patients might benefit instead from being treated for depression? Could different types of therapy improve attitude and outlook in these patients?
What about medical mistakes? What if the wrong patient is euthanized? Worse yet, what if the patient wants to change their mind midway through the procedure? Could euthanasia fuel farming out body parts? Could unsuspecting patients be brainwashed into seeking euthanasia and then donate their organs?
Already, there are reports of a professional at Veterans Affairs Canada offering to euthanize a veteran instead of treating his PTSD and traumatic brain injury.
Fox reports:
The VAC released a statement last week admitting to an incident “where medical assistance in dying was discussed inappropriately” with the veteran. The department pledged that “appropriate administrative action will be taken” after the veteran expressed outrage at the suggestion, according to a report in Global News.
According to the report, the veteran called VAC seeking support for PTSD when the employee brought up medical assistance in dying, or euthanasia, unprompted. The veteran was reportedly shocked by the suggestion. His family told Global News that the soldier had been making positive progress in his physical and mental rehabilitation and that he felt betrayed by an agency that is tasked with assisting veterans.
The veteran’s ordeal has since raised fears that the exchange may not have been an isolated incident, leading to questions about how often the agency has offered or discussed MAID with those suffering from PTSD.
The agency has since apologized to the veteran in follow-up call after the incident resulted in several complaints, with the VAC saying it “deeply regrets what transpired.”
Canada legalized MAID in 2016, with 2021 amendments broadening eligibility for those requesting the procedure. People suffering from mental disorders will also be allowed access to MAID starting in 2023.
But discussing MAID with veterans is not within the scope of the VAC, an agency in charge of the care of a population already at higher risk of suicide.
I don’t think any amount of positive PR can take away the seriousness of such a “slip of the tongue,” and I highly doubt it is a completely isolated event. Someone must be freely floating ideas like that for euthanasia to be so casually offered to a soldier. And I, for one, find it completely unacceptable.
Veterans are the one class of citizens that deserve our utmost respect, and to be treated with dignity and honor at all times. Their willingness to sacrifice for the greater good is perhaps the closest we come to angels walking the earth.
If you’re willing to put a veteran to sleep, who’s next?
That’s the scariest question of all. If it’s so easy to put a person “to sleep” as if they’re no more useful than a twenty-year-old three-legged blind stray dog, where do we draw the line?
Imagine giving leftists the power to weed-out the population? They’re so backwards, they’d put down ten bona fide card-carrying Mensa members and keep Joe Biden. Because when it comes to natural intellect, leftists simply have no point of comparison.
This content was originally published here.