To me, it's simply a foolish line of thought, and a dangerous one.
The most glaring thing, to me, is this line:
Quote:
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"If you're demented, you're wasting people's lives – your family's lives – and you're wasting the resources of the National Health Service..
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Hitler doesn't even enter the issue, at least not yet. This is skirting the edge of eugenics, and is a serious issue. Then there's the line about having an "advocate" decide for the patient.
I don't how I feel about the "right to die" idea, as I've never been in such a position, nor known someone who is. Ethically, I don't think I have a problem with it, though I don't think it should ever be officially sanctioned by the government. That's the kind of thing individuals need to figure out with their families.
When it becomes a "duty to die", you're in dangerous territory, and, to me, there is no ethical justification. No one has a "duty" to die.
As far as government healthcare, the idea that it leads to Nazi death camps is pretty stupid. Not sure how I feel about that one either. On one hand, you have the US system, with its high prices and insurance mess. On the other hand, I've spoken with many people who've had experience with a government-run healthcare program, from Canada's to the US military's, and they have very little good to say about it. I myself was in an army hospital for a bit. I received far better medical care in the local hospital. The army one was far less expensive, though, so I don't know which side to stand on there. Maybe both?