Now is the time at SDA when we juxtapose!
Lorrie Goldstein, Toronto Sun – “Nutbars are ruining health care”

Does it meet the test of critical thinking and intellectual honesty to allege Barack Obama and the Democrats want to kill grandmothers and disabled children by creating government-run “death panels”?
Further, if Obama and the Democrats were insane enough to attempt this, would they telegraph it from page 424 to 434 of their 1,017-page health care reform bill under the heading: “Advance Care Planning Consultation”?
Finally, does having their government murder helpless loved ones sound like a vote-getter with the American people? C’mon.

Jim Towey, WSJ – “The Death Book for Veterans “

Last year, bureaucrats at the VA’s National Center for Ethics in Health Care advocated a 52-page end-of-life planning document, “Your Life, Your Choices.” It was first published in 1997 and later promoted as the VA’s preferred living will throughout its vast network of hospitals and nursing homes. After the Bush White House took a look at how this document was treating complex health and moral issues, the VA suspended its use. Unfortunately, under President Obama, the VA has now resuscitated “Your Life, Your Choices.”
Who is the primary author of this workbook? Dr. Robert Pearlman, chief of ethics evaluation for the center, a man who in 1996 advocated for physician-assisted suicide in Vacco v. Quill before the U.S. Supreme Court and is known for his support of health-care rationing.
“Your Life, Your Choices” presents end-of-life choices in a way aimed at steering users toward predetermined conclusions, much like a political “push poll.” For example, a worksheet on page 21 lists various scenarios and asks users to then decide whether their own life would be “not worth living.”

And talk about rapid reaction. In the wake of the attention drawn to “Your Life, Your Choices”, a disclaimer appeared this morning on the front page of the PDF version available on the net.
I don’t much enjoy taking a whack at Lorrie over his op-ed, as I admire 95% of what he writes, but in this case I get the sense that he might benefit from reviewing commentary by well-known nutbar Charles Krauthammer and right wingers like Nat Hentoff.

The incoming president…

… of the Canadian Medical Association says the health-care system is imploding and doctors have to develop a plan to cure it.
Dr. Anne Doig says the care being provided to patients right now is less than optimal.
Doig says doctors, who are gathering in Saskatoon for their annual meeting, recognize that changes must be made.
The pitch for change starts today with a presentation from Dr. Robert Ouellet, the association’s outgoing president.
He has called for a patient-centred system.

More from the National Post.
Dr. Doig will be a guest on John Gormley Live this morning, scheduled for 8:30 Saskatchewan time (10:30 Eastern). You can listen live at the link.