[benVFR]

This is mostly a religious issue.

Where do you stand on:

- Removing the feeding tube from someone like Schiavo
- Doctor assisted suicide
- An inmate getting the death penalty
- Stem Cells
- Birth Control
- Abortion

Do you take your churches line? Differing opinions on each one? What is your churches ruling on each of these?

I'm Catholic, the church doctrine is that all of these are wrong. Terry should stay on the feeding tube indefinitely, no death penalty, no stem cell research, no birth control for anyone at anytime, no abortions. We should never be allowed to take someone's life and we should be fruitful and multiply.

Can't say I agree with the Church 100% on any of them, some I am totally opposed, some I think are gray areas with no absolute answer, some I agree.

I am curious if any religions have inconsistent doctrine on these. Like if you are a Christian conservative, can you be for Death Penalty and Birth control but be against all the others? At least the hardline Catholic viewpoint is the same across the board, I have to respect it for that.

This should bring on the flames.

[odduc]

- Removing the feeding tube from someone like Schiavo...this should be a private family matter
- Doctor assisted suicide...another family matter
- An inmate getting the death penalty...if convicted of murder, fry the fucker. Why should a convicted murderer be given any chance at a life when he stole life from his victim(s)?
- Stem Cells...for cloning, NO WAY!!!
- Birth Control...absolutely neccessary.
- Abortion...as a form of birth control, NO! If it means either the mother or the child, OK.

BTW, I do believe in God and Jesus Christ, but I am by no means a religious zealot. I do not attend regular church services.

[TheIglu]

We should never allow their life to continue un-naturally if we are gunna take the "God created life, we shouldn't play God and take it away" approach. Then we also shouldn't play God and keep someone alive whose time has come.

It works the other way too. Terri died 15 years ago. An organism continued to live since then with human intervention. Should we do everything possible to keep a 90 year old alive who is on the edge of death and suffering? What if they want to go?

It's a huge gray area. You can't just make a decision and stick to it. It is a case by case basis.

I say let people die. Abortion, stem cell, whatever. So many thousands of people are being killed every day from disease, hunger, war, etc, that it pisses me off that we make such a big deal over a vegetable with half a brain (not intended as an insult, it's the sad truth).

[bentbryan]

Originally posted by TheIglu
We should never allow their life to continue un-naturally if we are gunna take the "God created life, we shouldn't play God and take it away" approach. Then we also shouldn't play God and keep someone alive whose time has come.

That's a tough one. What about a premature born baby? People with pace-makers? More often than not they would die without medical assistance. So are we playing God by providing care that will allow them to live?

I hear ya though. At some point I think it becomes sick to keep someone alive who clearly is past the point of no return.

[TheIglu]

Originally posted by bentbryan
That's a tough one. What about a premature born baby? People with pace-makers? More often than not they would die without medical assistance. So are we playing God by providing care that will allow them to live?

I hear ya though. At some point I think it becomes sick to keep someone alive who clearly is past the point of no return.

Exactly my point. You can't just set a rule and stick to it. Too many variables, it should be judged on a case by case basis.

[SEVENSGT]

Originally posted by odduc
- Removing the feeding tube from someone like Schiavo...this should be a private family matter
- Doctor assisted suicide...another family matter
- An inmate getting the death penalty...if convicted of murder, fry the fucker. Why should a convicted murderer be given any chance at a life when he stole life from his victim(s)?
- Stem Cells...for cloning, NO WAY!!!
- Birth Control...absolutely neccessary.
- Abortion...as a form of birth control, NO! If it means either the mother or the child, OK.

BTW, I do believe in God and Jesus Christ, but I am by no means a religious zealot. I do not attend regular church services.

[SEVENSGT]

Originally posted by TheIglu
Exactly my point. You can't just set a rule and stick to it. Too many variables, it should be judged on a case by case basis.

if you mean judged by the families and not the courts or congress then I agree with you.

[TheIglu]

Originally posted by SEVENSGT
if you mean judged by the families and not the courts or congress then I agree with you.

DING!

This is a first

[MissTwisties]

-Removing tube, keeping on life support, etc...I don't know. Yes I think it should be a family matter. I think it also depends on the whole situation in which physical and mental health is the patient. In her case, waiting 15 years to end her suffering is a bit way too much. Some people wake up from comas after months or just a few years, but it's usually unlikely after such a long period of time. This gave me a wake up call to do somethin and write a will or make a home movie to tell what I want to happen if something is to happen to me. I don't want my family to struggle/fight/suffer because of me.

-Abortion...not for it as a contraception use. There is pills, condoms, etc. use them. I understand that sometimes, pregnancies happen anyway while using contraception...All for it -if it's because of rape, incest, or danger for the life of the mother or infant. This one is a tough call for me. If a girl just sleep around and keep getting pregnant, what's the good to bring a child into this world, she probably won't even take good care of her baby and it's gonna end up being a messed up child because of irresponsible parents.

-Doctor's assisted suicide...not sure about this one. Depends on the situation again, guess it's similar to the "removing tube/stopping life support" to end someone's misery...I do believe in God also, I don't attend services tho.

-Birth control...ALL FOR IT. Why in hell bring babies on this earth if you don't want them and won't take good care of them??

-Stem cell for cloning? NO. There is enough of one "me"...lol

-Inmates death penalty...no. If we kill them, it doesn't make us any better than them. I'm all for going back to primitive prisons tho, where there is no TV, no books, no activities and education, no fancy menus but rather basic foods to keep them alive. If need be, let them kill and rape each other, that would be hell and that's what they deserve. No COMFORT, just DISCOMFORT to suffer for what they did to innocent people.

[hohum]

Where did this "Stem cells for cloning" BS come from?

The debate currently raging about stem cells has simply to do with the source of the stem cells. One camp says its OK to create a clone of roughly 4 - 5 cells to harvest stem cells from (yes a 4 - 5 cell fetus), the other side says its not. But its not stem cells FOR cloning. Cloning of humans to create a full grown human is another issue entirely.

- Removing the feeding tube from someone like Schiavo - if she wanted this, then yes.
- Doctor assisted suicide - no problem with this
- An inmate getting the death penalty - don't believe in the death penalty since its irreversable
- Stem Cells - all for stem cell research
- Birth Control - all for birth control
- Abortion - a woman's choice, whether for birth control or not. I don't think anyone should be able to force a woman to have a child if she doesn't want to have a child, regardless of the reason. Don't believe in late term except for the health of the mother. Its too far along at that point for you to change your mind.

Then again, I surely ain't a christian

I can respect the hard core catholic stance that has a consistent take on the "culture of life", ie no birth control, no abortion, no death penalty, no assisted suicide, no removing feeding tubes. I don't agree with it but it at least has more intellectual consistency than: for death penalty, against abortion.

[RandyO]

I'm all for governement staying out of the whole damn list, outher than that, I'm not telling you my personal feelings

[highsider]

Originally posted by RandyO
I'm all for governement staying out of the whole damn list, outher than that, I'm not telling you my personal feelings

[hohum]

Originally posted by highsider

Pussy!



EXUP rocks balls, whatchoo talkin about Willis!

[highsider]

My point is that they are all very personal decisions, and that the government should keep their laws out of it.

[hohum]

I could agree with you on that point except that one of those things mentioned I arguably WANT the government explicity involved in, and thats the death penalty. When it comes to the rule of law, I certainly don't want that directly in the hands of the citizenry without strong democratic controls. Can you imagine how few people it would take to "execute a criminal" (or lynching as it is properly known) on the flimsiest of grounds if this was not government controlled? How many people would die on false allegations?

edit: just stirring the pot, its friday and its gorgeous out and i should NOT be stuck in front of this computer.

[MissTwisties]

I cannot have strong feelings about all these, because you are right, too many variables. Except for one thing...abortion. When I was working quoting benefits for medical professional about their patients, I was working for a California based insurance company. I got a few calls while working there, they were asking me about abortion benefits...a few of them called for their patients that were pregnant of over 4 or 5 months...and the patients wanted abortion. It is apparently legal. I got so mad at the idea of a woman having an abortion so late during her pregnancy it almost made me sick over it. Why would you wait so long to have it done, when the foetus can actually SUFFER at this stage of the pregnancy??? Even the poor doctor calling to request for the infos were not happy to do so, but it's not their choice, it's the patient choice. I believe I've been told it's also legal in New York to get an abortion at a late stage during pregnancy. There should be a limited amount of weeks that they can perform the abortion, after that limit, bring the baby to term and give him up for adoption is you don't want it.

Abortion should be a case by case issue, yes. But in certain cases like this one above, I think it's outrageous.

[RandyO]

Originally posted by hohum
I could agree with you on that point except that one of those things mentioned I arguably WANT the government explicity involved in, and thats the death penalty. When it comes to the rule of law, I certainly don't want that directly in the hands of the citizenry without strong democratic controls. Can you imagine how few people it would take to "execute a criminal" (or lynching as it is properly known) on the flimsiest of grounds if this was not government controlled? How many people would die on false allegations?

edit: just stirring the pot, its friday and its gorgeous out and i should NOT be stuck in front of this computer.

to clarify my position on the death penalty... there should be no laws mandating death penalty or eliminating it, death penalty should be a case by case to be determined by a jury of your peers.

who rode to work today besides me?

[Green Hornet]

I'm for what ever will get the highways less congested

[Stoneman]

-Either a living will (I think that's what it's called) or the next of kin should have final say...

-If the dude wansta die, why not get a doctor to help? Lot less messy usually...

-Hang 'em high. If someone killed a friend or family member, *I* wanna flip the switch & watch 'em die. Hopefully it's a slow, gruesome death at that...

-Stem cells: Why not? If it's used to cure, not to clone. Just not into the whole cloning thing. I mean, do we REALLY want two beets roaming the earth???

-Everyone should have the option of birth control. It's no one else's bidnezz. I can think of quite a few people to whom it shoulda been MANDATED...

-Again, it's one, maybe two people's bidnezz. NO ONE else should have a say in the matter. 'Course, there's extenuating circumstances to both sides of that coin...

I don't take those stances based on religion though...

[highsider]

Originally posted by Stoneman


-Stem cells: Why not? If it's used to cure, not to clone. Just not into the whole cloning thing. I mean, do we REALLY want two beets roaming the earth???