A Baby's Diary

Wednesday’s assignment was to write a speech over lunch on fetal development which we had learned about that morning from Wanda Franz, the president of NRLC, who has a PhD in Child Development. The instructions said to be creative, so I decided to take them up on the offer!

Many are fascinated with reading other’s diaries... people they admire or people who have an interesting perspective on life, like Anne Frank for example who had a peek into World War II through an attic hideaway. Today people spend a lot of time on Facebook or Twitter or blogs :-) because they can catch a glimpse into someone else’s reality. 

But have you ever wondered what it would be like if we could find out exactly what it was like for each of us to be inside our mothers’ womb for nine months? I wish that we could remember as adults what it must have been like during the earliest days of our lives. 

The good news is that now with advanced modern technology we can know more than ever before how each of us grow during the first months of life - and its an absolutely beautiful and break-taking process.

As a baby, perhaps this is what my diary would have sounded like.. (if I could have actually written a diary of course!)

MY DIARY

Lennart Nilsson

(Sperm entering egg)

DAY ONE

Oh my goodness! I’m alive!!! - a genetically complete, totally unique, single celled organism too small for anyone to see. You might be asking - how did I come to be? My dad’s sperm, a very persistent fast-swimming at that, united with my mom’s egg and ta-da! at the exact moment that these two completely separate cells united - you got me! I have all the DNA genetic information that I will ever need - from the beginning. 

Lennart Nilsson

8 days

WEEK ONE

You can now call me “Embryo”. I’ve traveled down my mom’s fallopian tube and found a safe home on the wall of my mom’s uterus. Snuggling in close, I’ve attached myself permanently for the duration. All my cells have differentiated and know exactly what part of the body they will become - whether it be my digestive system, my nervous system or my muscles. 

WEEK FOUR

I’ve grown so much! I am now 1/6 inch long. My heart is starting to beat with my own blood and my other organs are starting to form too! How exciting! 

WEEK FIVE

More growth - I now have eyes, legs and hands starting to develop. Life is good.

WEEK SIX

You’ll never believe it - I have brain waves now!!! And.... drum roll please, fingers and lips! I am happy to announce that I made my first movement yesterday as my nervous system is developing nicely. Especially around my mouth, I can finally start to feel things!

Lennart Nilsson

8 weeks

WEEK 8

Super exciting news! I have a new name: “Fetus”. I am kicking and swimming around in my little swimming pool and the best part is that I still might be a surprise to my mom. She can’t feel my movements yet, but all my major body parts are present in my one inch long body. I have fingerprints too! 

12 weeks

WEEKS 9-12

So much is happening it is hard to keep up with journaling. I have fingernails! I can’t wait until I can have manicure parties with my mom someday. I starting to feel more and more... I think my brain must be developing more and I have more nerve endings everywhere. The best part is that I can now suck my fingers. Don’t forget - I love kicking and dancing. I think I’ll like swing dancing when I grow up. 

Lennart Nilsson 

18 weeks

WEEKS 16-18

The coolest thing happened: I had a dream last night! I think I saw a tall man with a kind, shining face and he was holding me tight. It made me smile. 

I also have skin and hair now - blonde to be exact. 

20 weeks

WEEK 20

Just recently I realized that I can hear sounds! A very soothing voice is talking to me all the time - it is very sweet and reassuring. It must be my mom. I can’t wait to meet her! Sometimes I can hear a deeper voice. Yesterday the voice came closer and closer, and it sounded like it was talking straight to me. It sounded as if he was saying, “Hey baby, can’t wait till we get to meet you! Only a couple more months... Hang in there.” Well daddy, I can’t wait to meet you either! 

Lennart Nilsson

WEEK 21

Today I felt a pressure right on me - as if my mom was placing her hand right over me. I kicked back to let her know that I can feel her - its such a fun game.

32 weeks

WEEK 32 

Sorry that I haven’t written in awhile, its taken all my energy to gain weight and height. I am so big! Its starting to get cramped in here - any way that I can get out soon? 

WEEK 35

I am starting to have something in my lungs that I think is going to help me breathe better when I’m on the outside. Mom and Dad? I am SO, SO, SO excited to meet you finally! I have heard your voice for so long - you seem very wonderful. But I am going to miss hearing your heart beat, Mom. It helps me go to sleep. 

LAST ENTRY

This is going to be a quick entry because ready-or-not-here-I-come! I’m ready to get outta here! 

I wonder what you’ll name me?

(This is me! Abigail - 'Source of the Father's Joy')

Why I am Pro-life

Last week we had 2 speech experts spend two whole days with us, helping us become more confident in our public speaking skills - giving us constructive feedback that was really helpful.  On Tuesday, our assignment was write a speech over lunch, talking about why we were pro-life... The following is my speech written out to how I think I said it, I gave it off of keywords in person :-)

Every since I was a little girl, I have believed that all life is precious. My mom asked me when I was three years old - "what do you want to be when you grow up Abby?" Among other things, I mentioned that I wanted to be a nurse who took care of children all over the world. 

Every day, I saw children on the street, dressed in rags and begging. No one loved them and no one cared. I saw these children every day when my family and I were doing mission work in Romania for 5 years. I knew that even though the society considered them trash and the scum of the earth, God considered these children special, and therefore so should I. When I was 7 (our last year in Romania), my parents got involved in a street children’s ministry. I loved going down to the train station, where many of them lived in the sewers under the street, to serve them lunch. I loved watching many of their faces light up with just this small act of kindness and love. 


You might be wondering, what does this have to do with being pro-life? 

It has EVERYTHING to do with being pro-life - because of the foundational principle of the movement that ALL life is precious: whether it is elderly, disabled, unborn, or considered useless. These values became firmly rooted in me through my experiences in Romania.

My passion to become a nurse in order to protect the voiceless and hopeless did not waver through the years, it only strengthened. We moved back to the United States when I was 8 because my grandma was diagnosed with cancer. But through chemo, radiation and most importantly through God, she went into remission for 4 years almost as soon as we moved back home! But when I was in 7th grade, the cancer came back. We did everything that we possibly could to provide her with the best of care but the cancer was too widespread, and she spent her last five weeks on earth in an intensive care unit. While we basically lived in the hospital with her, I was able to experience for the first time how many medical professionals have no respect and do not help provide for people at the end of their life. Some nurses tried to drug Grandma up so that she would be so sedated she wouldn’t be a hassle. We fought for her - even though she couldn’t speak because of a tracheotomy, we could still communicated that we cared about each other - through hugs, through smiles, through notes passed back and forth. She was very alert and wanted to live as long as God wanted her to live. Some of her doctors pushed for us to end her life sooner, but that would have robbed us of our special goodbye that was peaceful and full of love. My grandma knew that we loved her and that we thought that her life was worth living and fighting for - and she too fought for every breath so that she could be with us just a little bit longer until her dying day. 

The nurses in that hospital impacted my life forever - those were 5 very formative weeks in my life. Those few nurses who were advocates for my grandma and respected and encouraged my family day in and day out made a difference in my grandma’s life and in my family’s life. From that point forward, I have wanted to grow up and be like those nurses so that I can fight for the lives of others who have no advocate. 

Then in high school I became more involved in the pro-life movement. I wrote in essay contests, participated in projects that reached out to the elderly and disabled in my community, raised money for orphans and the unborn, and even participated in a speech contest (where I went all the way to nationals). All these activities and more challenged me to research why I believed life was worth fighting for. Every year I became more and more convinced that God not only created every single individual in his image, but he also created each one for a purpose - no exceptions, no mistakes. Because this view is extremely opposed, I wanted to become more educated so that I could be an effective advocate for those that society has deemed unworthy of value and respect -  and this is why I wanted to attend the NRLC Academy this summer.

Many factors have shaped me into who I am today and why I am so passionate about protecting life. It is because I have seen with my own eyes (despite my initial perceptions and prejudices) that ALL life is precious in God’s eyes at any age or stage of development and therefore worth defending. 

6 Ways to Defeat a Pro-life Candidate

The Political Action Director gave a lecture on Thursday - "6 ways to defeat a pro-life candidate". I thought that these points were really important with the 2010 elections coming up! She is so smart and well informed and it was great to hear that she thinks that pro-life candidates ALL over the country have wonderful chances of be elected this election cycle. Keep praying and read the following list... encourage ALL your friends to vote. Not voting at all is the same thing as voting against the pro-life candidate.

The following is her speech/handout summarized:

#1: Fall in love with your candidate
NRLC encourages pro-lifers to get involved in campaigns - active participation builds a strong campaign. But too often pro-lifers get so excited about their candidate that if he/she loses to another pro-life candidate, the pro-life grassroots person becomes like a child who has lost a game (especially in a primary)... he takes his toys and goes home. He doesn't support the pro-life candidate who won, and won't volunteer in the campaign. Pro-life candidates need the active support of all-lifers and all too often without that full support,  a pro-abortion candidate wins.

#2 Believe that your candidate is the only "real" pro-life candidate in the race and bash other pro-life candidates
In primaries, too many times pro-lifers attack other pro-life candidates as not being "pro-life" enough. Because some pro-lifers have attacked the successful pro-life candidate, the pro-abortion candidate will use that in pro-life circles to hold down opponent. Ironically the pro-abortion candidate is going to other voters, attacking the pro-life candidate as a "radical pro-life extremist".

#3 Support a really nice candidate who is pro-life but has no chance of winning
Millions of unborn children's lives are at stake. That's why the viability of a candidate must be considered when we decide who to vote for. There are some wonderful pro-lifers who may even be active in our chapters, who decide to run for office. However, if they can't gain enough support to be a viable candidate, they need to be encouraged to step aside for a candidate who can actually win and take action to protect unborn children. Supporting to make a statement, not to make a difference is the perfect way to defeat a pro-life candidate.

#4 Expect the candidate to sound like a Right to Life chapter chairman
People who are not directly involved in the pro-life movement are not going to be as articulate or well-versed on all the pro-life issues. Some candidates may not realize that there are certain "code words" that are interpreted differently by the pro-life community. Sometimes a candidate can be tripped up by the media, misquoted, quoted out of context. Give him a chance to explain what he really believes. Remember, words are nice, action is better.

#5 Expect the candidate to always make abortion the major issue in the campaign
November 2008 polls found that 34% of voters affected the way that they voted. Of those 25% said they voted for the pro-life candidate. While it is a distinct advantage for candidates to be pro-life and makes a difference in the outcome of an election, it also means 66% of the voters had other issues that were more important to them. In order to win, a candidate has to focus on many issues that will appeal to a broad variety of voters. When abortion is discussed in the campaign, the candidate must clearly and directly articulate his position, you can't expect the candidate to always make abortion the major issue in the campaign to sure way to lose an election.

#6 Vote for a third-party or independent candidate who has no chance of winning
When a general election is between a pro-life candidate and pro-abortion candidate representing established parties, there will be times when a third-party or independent candidate will get into the race, claiming to be the "real" pro-lifer. He will attack the pro-life candidate who has real chances of winning and get other pro-lifers to do the same. This is a sure strategy to elect the pro-abortion candidate. Pro-lifers who support the third-party to the detriment of the pro-lifer may feel like they have not compromised their principles - but if they succeed in indirectly helping to elect a candidate who allow the killing of unborn babies to continue, they compromised away something far more important: children's lives.

Tears

We were given the book Brave New World to read over the weekend - if you've never read it, I highly recommend it. To say that it causes you to think would be an understatement. 

It was written in the 30's but is extremely insightful into questions that our culture is dealing with today - especially on the issue of suffering. The World Controllers, with the advancement of modern technology, have been able to genetically modify human beings and get rid of most diseases. Everyone takes this drug called soma daily and whenever they feel the slightest bit unhappy. The sole purpose of man is to be comfortable, "happy", and stable. In the effort to avoid pain and suffering, they sacrifice all freedom to experience independence, love, passion, beauty, joy, excitement - literally “anything for a quiet life.” The entire culture shifted from emphasizing truth and beauty to comfort and happiness. The State is highly motivated to keep people content and stable so that they will not become unhappy, think for themselves and try to overthrow the government. When the body starts failing with age, people are just given a large overdose of soma so that they go on permanent holiday and escape reality in death. The protagonist questions the active euthanasia of his 'elderly' mother, but the nurse responds that murder only kills the individual  - but after all, what is an individual? 

By displaying a dystopia, this books shows that suffering is a truly necessary component of a complete human experience. As Christians, we can recognize that suffering is a direct correlation from the Fall of Adam in the Garden and the subsequent sinful nature of mankind. Yet, reconciling suffering is still hard for me. I don't think that we should completely try and run away, masking all signs of suffering (assisted suicide would be an example of escapism). 


But one of the questions asked of us was this: Are all efforts to reduce or eliminate suffering the equivalent of providing soma, and equally to be deplored? What, if any, is the difference between researching the cures for diseases and providing 'merciful' euthanasia?

In all honesty, I really struggled (and still am struggling) with this question...I even called my parents to talk about it with them. And I'm sure that after we talk about it in class on Thursday, I'll have even more to chew on (I'll let you know...)

Soma, or anything that resembles it, should be deplored because it tries to completely mask all signs of suffering all the time. Yet not all efforts to reduce suffering seem to fit into this category. It would be inhumane to have morphine at one’s disposal but because “suffering is a natural part of life” refuse to give it to a person who has just been severely wounded in a car accident and is in agony for example. All I could think about was my Granny Ann, in her last hours of life struggling for breath, in severe pain and scared. We couldn't bear the thought of her dying in agony, so we increased the dosage of her pain meds to help her rest more easily until she died a natural death only a few hours later. But is our instinct to reduce or eliminate suffering wrong? 

Trying to find cures for diseases cannot be always wrong because one of the ways that Jesus showed compassion was by healing people with incurable diseases. Yet is treating/curing diseases only really right when we are trying to find a cure that just helps the body fight better in order to return to its original design versus implementing an artificial way to eliminate suffering (like soma or messing with genetics for example)? Where's the line between ethical pain management and running away from suffering, in the process becoming more and more like a Brave New World? 

Bottom line: I don't know. Ironically this is a question where it appears that there are no easy answers and a question one must instead wrestle and struggle with instead. But I don't think that God is afraid of us asking big questions, and I am trusting that perhaps during the next five weeks, or perhaps later, he will reveal more to me in time.

Here's what I do know: trying to eliminate all suffering will not produce good results. Suffering is a permanent part of our world until Jesus' return because of our sin. And in the end, trying to completely eradicate suffering also eliminates the possibilit of experiencing joy, love, beauty and most importantly God's redemption. 

I also know that through God's redemption, he can use the suffering in our lives to refine us and make us more like himself. This alone should help us not be so afraid of suffering. But I will admit that I am sometimes still afraid. 

The world tells us to just escape from suffering....when your loved one is likely going to die, just be compassionate and end their life now. 

Here's something else that I know: when my Grandma Sue was in her last five weeks of life in ICU, the doctors pressured us to take her off the respirator - she was going to die anyway. But up until the last day of her life, even though she couldn't talk because of her tracheotomy, she was alive, alert, ready with a smile, and capable of both receiving our love and giving love away to us. Those five weeks that we spent with her in the hospital were some of the hardest yet some of the best moments that we ever got to spend with her. We were able to have a good goodbye: we were able to shower compassion and love on her, letting her know that her life was valuable and that we treasured her. Instead of dying with the knowledge that her life wasn't worth living anymore (which would have been the message that we would have sent if we had pulled the plug), she died a good death: in peace, with a smile on her face right before she lapsed into unconsciousness, and with dignity and respect. One of the greatest lessons that my Grandma Sue ever could have taught me was endure suffering with joy and grace because it produces hope, and hope does not disappoint. (Romans 5) What is that hope in? Jesus Christ our Lord who for the joy set before him also suffered when he endured the cross and who is now seated with God in heaven (Hebrews 12). 

Tonight was full of tears. Many, many tears... as I struggled with these issues of suffering and pain because I wanted to know what was right and as I relived the deaths of both my grandma and great-grandma.  But now I realize more than ever that suffering is not something to be afraid of or something that we should run from all the time. Even in the pain and sorrow that I am experiencing tonight, I would never want to replace the joy that I am also experiencing in celebrating the lives that they did live, the memories that we shared and the hope of knowing that one day we'll all be together in heaven where there are no more tears (Revelation 21:4).

Fourth of July in DC!

I feel so blessed to have been able to spend fourth of July in Washington DC! Definitely epic.

All of the Academy (except Andrew - he went home this weekend) and a few NRLC Interns met at the office and walked over the Mall - people everywhere from every land and nation it seemed like! We staked out a spot on the Capitol Lawn - in the shade (thankfully, because it was HOT and muggy) with a perfect view of Washington Monument through an opening in the trees. All afternoon and evening, we ate, played Apples to Apples, played music (listened to Brandyn sing country - oh my), and just had a great time of fellowship. About 8pm, there as a concert that played even through the fireworks show! It was pretty sweet! Last year I sat on the steps of Lincoln Memorial and this year I was on the opposite end on the lawn of the Capitol!!! (Check out the pictures on PICTURES- WEEK 2)

The Metros were CRAZY - I looked it up on the internet and the Washington Post estimated that over a half a million people were trying to use the metro for the fireworks! But we beat the crowds by just walking the 22 blocks from the Capitol to GW. We've become practically experts in weaving our way through throngs of people now! :-)

The Academy guys, and a few of the interns, didn't want to go to bed by 11 since we have the day off work, so we grabbed ice cream and frozen pizzas and had a party on our balcony. We cranked up the music and even did a little swing dancing!  Quite a way to celebrate!

Yes, our freedom is a good reason to celebrate - but I was reminded of how much we can't take it for granted that we will always have freedom to just live and breathe. There are so many that want to take it away from us, and we can't lose heart or our focus and stop praying for our country and standing up for truth.

Incrementalism: An effective strategy?

While learning the actual arguments and detailed information about the life issues is extremely important and valuable, the Academy is also helping us learn effective communication skills and helping us to lay a foundation on which to put all these facts and figures.  What do I mean by this?

Let me try to explain through this analogy: say an incredibly brilliant guy knows everything there is to know about cars - specific information for hundreds of models, the fuel efficiencies of each kind, the year they were made, their safety ratings, etc, etc, etc. Is his knowledge useful in selling cars at the dealership if he stumbles all over his words, speaks with incoherent phrases, rattles off numbers in no logical order? No, of course not. Suppose however that he learns public speaking skills - how to speak clearly and concisely, how to express his opinions in a logical flow, how to use hand gestures to make a point... But the final piece of the puzzle before he can become effective in helping people buy the best car is an effective strategy. He wonders - "Should I be upfront, loud and coercive when I trying to convince people to buy the best choice in a vehicle? Should I always tell them my opinion upfront and then challenge them every time that they are wrong? I know that I am right." He tried this approach for awhile, but realized that he is not selling any cars. People got angry and frustrated at his absolutism and just walked away if their opinions didn't match his own. He tried a new strategy the next week: after meeting his new potential customer, he started by asking questions, trying to find common interests and building a relationship. He then began sharing pieces of information in a calm, clear way and then asked hard questions, slowly but surely leading the customer to decide for himself that this car was truly the perfect one!

While this analogy is definitely not a perfect one (and very silly!), I think it does convey the important message that we've been learning so much about. Its not enough to know a lot about pro-life issues, we must also have an effective strategy in how we will communicate that information.

A few days ago, we had a lecture entitled "What is National Right to Life Committee?" - given by a lady who has been working in the pro-life movement for over 30 years. She defined NRLC's strategy very clearly. First of all, it is broad-based, which means that it is not founded upon a particular denomination or political affiliation. It is clearly focused on a single issue - the right to life for all. This strategy has helped them unite all kinds of people from all over the country versus alienating potential allies. NRLC has affiliates in every state at the grassroots level that are completely autonomous entities. Every state looks like a little different and operate with different "tactics" but through NRLC, they share the broad, overarching vision and strategy, through Education, Legislation and Political Action. This is exactly when Jesus asked us to do in John 17 - "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one."

The other critical strategy of NRLC can be defined in one word: Incrementalism. They are willing to take the biggest step possible toward their goal versus waiting until the perfect path (or bill) comes along. For example, they fought for the Partial Birth abortion ban a few years ago and are currently fighting for a bill that would stop all abortion after 20 weeks (because of proven fetal pain). They sometimes get heavy criticism for conceding and not focusing on all their efforts on overturning Roe v Wade and stopping ALL abortions, but they would rather protect as many babies as possible, slowly chipping away at the foundation of pro-abortion agenda, moving closer and closer versus virtual inaction until Roe v Wade could be overturned.

They believe that this is an effective winning strategy because it has been proven in history to work.

We went on a field trip yesterday with Burke Balch - the resident genius in pro-life history among other things - to talk about Abraham Lincoln's strategy to save the Union and free slaves. We visited a statue of Abraham Lincoln - the first place to be named after him after his assassination.

We read about 10 first-hand documents - the speech that Fredrick Douglas gave at the inauguration of the statue, speeches and letters that Lincoln wrote, letters that were written to Lincoln, the Emancipation Proclamation, etc, etc, etc. Lincoln was criticized in his day and still is for not taking a firm position on freeing the slaves. He even says in his Inaugural Address and in letters to the Editor that his interest is not in freeing the slaves but in saving the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves that were only in Southern states, and didn't even mention the slaves that were in the North (who actually in Lincoln's jurisdiction versus the Southern slaves). Fredrick Douglas, a staunch abolitionist, strongly rebuked Lincoln multiple times during his presidency.

HOWEVER, throughout the morning, we came to realize that Lincoln was not a man who flip-flopped on the issue of slavery because of a lack of convictions about freeing slaves based on human rights and equality. Instead, this seeming non-committal was his strategy. Let me explain: If Lincoln had always expressed his views on slavery and had made a point to clearly identify it as his goal from the beginning, the Union could not have been preserved. There were SO many opinions about slavery - even in the North - that he would not have had enough support to win the war and keep the country together. The result would have been that he could not have freed the slaves even if he wanted too since the South would have become their own country. He tried to unite as many people as possible, and slowly introduce the idea of freeing slaves, so that the end result would be freedom for all. Fredrick Douglas, at the end of the war, wrote that he had never met a man like Lincoln who treated a black man as a true equal and friend.

The Civil Rights Movement also operated under this incrementalist strategy. We learned about how the NAACP slowly fought for the rights of freed slaves. Even though the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments  abolished slavery and guaranteed equal rights and voting rights, the courts began defining that segregation was constitutional because they were "separate and equal" at the same time. Instead of trying to attack the fundamental issue (equal treatment for all) and fail because of the deeply rooted racism, the NAACP began slowly bringing up court cases that attacked smaller issues from shortly after the Civil War ended up until the 1950’s and 60’s. Finally in Brown vs the Board of Education, the courts granted that segregated but equal was really not possible, and they allowed black children to integrate into schools. This decision was the turning point for the Civil Rights movement. If the NAACP had not been willing to accept small victories for decades, this turning point would have probably never come.

The point to studying several other movement’s strategies was to give all of us a clearer picture of why NRL operates the way that it does, and to show us that this strategy can work. This question of incrementalism is an important and a difficult one - when is it okay to compromise and “settle” on a issue instead of fighting for the whole issue all at once? The Bible verse that kept coming to mind during the whole discussion was Matthew 10:16, “...Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”

Stopping the legalization of Assisted Suicide

The past 4 days at the Academy we have been focusing on understanding and learning how to articulate the pro-life position against assisted suicide/euthanasia. I am actually personally very interested in this topic because of all the issues that I dealt with in the deaths of my grandmother and great-mother in the last several years AND because of its extreme relevance to the future of our country. Once we devalue life even more by saying the those who are terminally ill should have the right to die - then the elderly, the disabled, the imperfect, and the useless are also in danger of being eliminated (as evidenced by Oregon and the Netherlands).



While I had read about assisted suicide issue before, this four day intensive study has definitely helped cement what I believe and why. Additionally, I feel more confident in expressing why upholding the sanctity of life at all ages is so important. I still have questions about various aspects of this very complex issue, but Burke has assured us that "we are not done with this discussion!" I am glad - While abortion is still a very big part of the pro-life movement, upholding the sanctity of life at any age or stage is critical at this time. Only 2 states (Oregon and Washington) have legalized it and we must do everything we can to stop the progress of the pro-death agenda.

So that you can feel like you're learning right alongside me - I will write in my own words a few of the main points that I have found to be most convincing and helpful. (but warning - I have a hard time being 'non-wordy' - sorry) I have many, many, many personal stories, examples from the unfortunate test cases in Oregon, Washington and the Netherlands - if you want more specific examples or have any questions - please let me know.

The whole debate can really be framed into two areas: the Autonomy argument and the Quality of Life argument.

Autonomy

"Isn't it a person's choice whether they live or die? Its really none of our business. They should have the right to die"
The autonomy argument leads to an extreme position - With this precedent of extending the right to die to the terminally ill or those with permanent disabilities, it follows that it shouldn't be society's right to judge that any individual's life is worth living and so should not interfere with the suicide of anyone - including an 18 year old who has just been dumped by her boyfriend or a 35 year old whose business has just gone bankrupt.

Why would the right to die only apply to the terminally ill? Do we really want to legalize suicide for everyone?

"She's a competent adult - she wants to die and she's making a logical decision. We should let her." 
Actually those attempting suicide are generally not exercising true autonomy because they have their judgement impaired by a mental disorder.

At least 90% of those who commit suicide have a mental disorder - and of the terminally ill, 24% have expressed a wish to die, and ALL of those people have clinical depression.

The good news is that depression is TREATABLE - with medication and psychological counseling.
The depression is causing the person to desire death, but this can be a reversible condition. If attempters were stopped and counseled, in 5 years, less than 4% attempted suicide again.

The true attempt is usually not to die, but it is most commonly a cry for help. If we address this cry for help by helping them commit suicide - then we really are reinforcing their hopelessness by saying, "You're right - your life really is worthless.”

Quality of Life

"Its reasonable in some cases that people would want to die : intractable pain, depression, disabilities, or feeling like they are a burden on their family." 
90-99% of all pain can be controlled according to the Washington Medical Association. The problem is that not all medical professions are trained to use the most advanced medical technology to control pain effectively without the sedation/groggy effects. The solution is to expand training in pain management, not kill the person in pain.

Depression - see above. Depression can be treated even for the terminally ill. Too many primary care providers don't truly know how to spot or diagnose depression, and not enough doctors refer their patients to psychiatrists before giving them the lethal prescription in Oregon and Washington in 2007 and 2009.

Most people with disabilities don't want to die because the think their quality of life is low, but because of the prejudice and discrimination of non-disabled people. If assisted suicide is legalized for the disabled, we are not respecting their "right to die", but instead we are discriminatorily denying them suicide prevention counseling that we would afford to non-disabled people.

YOU DON'T SOLVE PROBLEMS BY GETTING RID OF THE PEOPLE TO WHOM PROBLEMS HAPPEN. 


THERE ARE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES OF ACCEPTING DEATH AS A MANAGEMENT OPTION
There is less pressure to devote energy to finding positive alternatives since death is the easy way out.

Doctors are not longer healers, but killers. People will be afraid to go to their doctors - "Am I worth saving?" There are case studies of insurance companies in Oregon who refused to cover life-prolonging medication/treatments but would cover assisted suicide.

The right to die becomes the duty to die... social, economic and familial pressures cause the elderly to be seen as selfish for not wanting to die and get out of the way.

ONCE YOU PUT A PRICE ON LIFE, THE PRICE GOES DOWN.

And once the psychological barrier is crossed, killing becomes easier and easier for less and less reason.