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The NY Times Has Set the 'Right to Die with Dignity' Movement Back Considerably, Says Letlifein.com
By clouding the controversial issue of ‘Assisted Suicide,’ The NY Times has confused the issue and caused more harm than good.
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Irvine, CA (FPRC) June 6, 2007 -- We at ‘Let Life In’ (www.LetLifeIn.com) believe The NY Times has missed the point in their editorial (Dr. Kervorkian’s Wrong Way) and done a disservice to the “Right to Die with Dignity” movement. By focusing on Dr. Kervorkian’s methods rather than the assisted suicide issue he advocates, they have clouded the issue and fueled the controversy.
Basically the Times’ feeling is that Dr Kervorkian’s methods were wrong and that “he besmirched the movement he hoped to energize.” They noted his “limitless appetite for publicity.” They said he was reckless and performed assisted suicides badly by not validating the patient’s request and evaluating the patient's suffering thoroughly.
Gary Geyer, editor-in Chief at ‘Let Life In” (www.LetLifeIn.com) says, “That may or may not be true. However, the controversy is over the question, “should people who are terminally ill and in pain have the right to request assistance in ending their lives with dignity?”
“We, at LetLifeIn.com think they should,” says Geyer.
“It seems to us, what Dr Kervorkian has done is bring the subject to the nightly news and to the front page of every newspaper in the country. The Times says that he has "besmirched the movement." We say, "What movement?" The Times may know of one but the rest of the world doesn't,” says Geyer.
“Unfortunately, the media for the most part hasn’t been as supportive as they could have been. It was the media who, after all gave Kervorkian the nick name “Dr. Death,” which has ‘tabloidized’ the issue.
We think The NY Times should have made it perfectly clear that they believe that a person should have the right to die with dignity and that assisted suicide should be a patient’s right as well as a legal option should he or she want it. That’s what LetLifeIn.com did. (http://letlifein.com/letlife/MemberInteraction/ArticleDetails/tabid/147/ItemID/398/tid/36/Default.aspx)
“LetLifeIn.com is an online magazine & social network (InterAction Depot) for those 50+. With a cutting edge and a sense of humor, LetLifeIn.com explores the concerns, issues and controversies that those over 50 encounter. LetLifeIn.com is a place for boomers and seniors to explore what is out there, express what they feel and in the process, enrich their lives.
Send an email to Gary Geyer of Let Life In
949-263-9100
Keywords:
Assisted Suicide, Kervorkian
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