Bioethicist Expert on Right to Die Gives Thumbs Down to Terri

“These cases don't belong in the public arena,” says the Rev. John Paris, a bioethicist at Boston College and an expert on right-to-die issues. ( This sentence from an article was written in regard to the Terri Shiavo issue February 28, 2005)

In the Christian Science Monitor article by Gregory M. Lamb, “Right to stay alive: Who decides?”, two alarming character flaws of our emerging society came into focus. The first, that such a field as bioethicist has been created and the second, even more alarming is that there are such things as so called “Experts” on the right to die.

I can remember being more than a little alarmed when I saw a billboard along side a major freeway advertising “Who’s the Father”, an agency that did the blood work/DNA work in cases of undecided parental responsibility. Had our society become so casual as to need such a thing, much less such a need as to make it a viable industry? No, I did not fall off the turnip truck this morning, if that’s on your mind.

Bioethicist, now that’s a made up modern word to cover something that was never needed, nor should be needed by any civilized society. The NAZI regime had no need for one because they intended to violate all concepts of morality in their testing/torture of “lesser qualified human forms”. Saddam Hessian’s secret police were no different, nor were Joseph Stalin’s or any of the notable monsters of this world. They had no need to have someone with a title to remind them that some things just are not acceptable, they were going to do them anyway, why have to be reminded?

So, a bioethicist, is a civilized society’s way of saying, “We plan to leave the accepted paths of decency, but only in short forays, most likely of little consequence to our overall society”. What was it my old friend and supervisor advised me to say, oh yes, “Pure Male Bovine Excrement!” I had gotten a written reprimand for having voiced the more popular phrase, quite correctly, only in front of the wrong folks.

On to the second issue, that of having a so called Expert in right to die issues. Talk about placing yourselves above the masses. The outright audacity, gall or nerve; call it what you will, to extend such a title upon any human seeks to elevate that person to the same level as our Creator; who alone has that privilege. I got all this from just one sentence in the article. The rest of the article went on and on attempting to justify the “expert” observations with inaccurate or incomplete information intended to justify their position.

I am also a big fan of talk radio, especially the Rush Limbaugh Show. I can just imagine hearing Rush explaining how, “The Rev-a-rind John Paris, heavy emphasis on the Rev-a-rind as he likes to repeat sometimes, and bio-eth-i-cist announced today….”, yes, that would be how Rush would introduce this one. I’m sorry; but the Christian Science Monitor does not represent anything Christian when it sides with violating inalienable God given rights, such as the right to life. (sound of a piece of paper straightened in front of the EIB microphone for effect )

Maybe a name change is in store for you guys, say, The Monitor, without the Christian part so as not to confuse anyone. Try selling shoes, or providing meals to the poor; but leave any hint of religion out of your message, you left God’s will a long time ago, that assumes you ever had it to begin with.