Santorum claims that in the Netherlands 50% of all euthanizations are forced

[Ichingcarpenter]

Santorum claims that in the Netherlands 50% of all euthanizations are forced and that elderly people flee the country in fear of being euthanized.

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He furthermore claims that elderly people wear 'Don't euthanize me' bracelets and euthanasia accounts for 10% of alls deaths in the Netherlands.


I'm so glad American TV news reporters are on top of this fairytale by this idiot.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Perhaps...

Nah, I can't say it.

[2ndAmForComputers]

39. I thoroughly endorse that thing you can't say.

[appleannie1]

2. That would be against the laws in that country. What an idiot.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Dutch Penal Code Articles 293 and 294 make both euthanasia and assisted suicide illegal, even today. However, as the result of various court cases, doctors who directly kill patients or help patients kill themselves will not be prosecuted as long as they follow certain guidelines. In addition to the current requirements that physicians report every euthanasia/assisted-suicide death to the local prosecutor and that the patient’s death request must be enduring (carefully considered and requested on more than one occasion), the Rotterdam court in 1981 established the following guidelines:

The patient must be experiencing unbearable pain.
The patient must be conscious.
The death request must be voluntary.
The patient must have been given alternatives to euthanasia and time to consider these alternatives.
There must be no other reasonable solutions to the problem.
The patient’s death cannot inflict unnecessary suffering on others.
There must be more than one person involved in the euthanasia decision.
Only a doctor can euthanize a patient.
Great care must be taken in actually making the death decision. (1)
Since 1981, these guidelines have been interpreted by the Dutch courts and Royal Dutch Medical Association (KNMG) in ever-broadening terms. One example is the interpretation of the “unbearable pain” requirement reflected in the Hague Court of Appeal’s 1986 decision. The court ruled that the pain guideline was not limited to physical pain, and that “psychic suffering” or “the potential disfigurement of personality” could also be grounds for euthanasia. (2

[CTyankee]

13. I was in the Netherlands last October and saw a lot of healthy, happy people.

I didn't know about the guidelines and I thank you for listing them for us.

Sen. Santorum needs to get educated before he sounds off about another country's policies. Either that, or he needs to stop lying. The Netherlands is our ally and friend. As president (PERISH the thought!) he would set the good citizens of that nation's teeth on edge.

What breathtaking ignorance and/or pure LYING about our good European friend!

Santorum should be reminded of Holland's history of religious tolerance. I was in the lovely church where the British Puritans prayed before departing for the New World. The organist played a lovely medley of music which included a bit of our national anthem in an original piece. I was so impressed!

[Ichingcarpenter]

15. Why no media coverage of this lie

It is all over the net but not TV.

[Mariana]

20. I don't imagine Santorum thinks too highly of religious tolerance.

He does want to force everyone in this country to live according to HIS beliefs, doesn't he?

[CTyankee]

22. He does AND he frames religious tolerance as being intolerant of HIS religion!

Anything that deviates from his own religious precepts cannot be tolerated in Rick's world. Let's just hope he pushes this to the ultra extreme and the press can't ignore it any longer...it would be a nice trainwreck to watch.

[treestar]

26. Age is not a factor

Though I'd think it would be - if young enough, medical advances might help in the future.

The mental pain issue bothers me a little - depression should be ruled out, I would hope, anyway.

[aka-chmeee]

43. I'm surprised and disappointed really,

I think it should be as easy as it was for Sol Roth. Sign the papers, respectful people see to your comfort, the exit is dignified and uncomplicated.

[DebJ]

3. Republicans prefer that private health care for-profit companies euthanize citizens. n/t

[area51]

58. +1

If they care that much about stopping deaths, they need to get off their asses and support single-payer health care.

[appleannie1]

4. If that man was capable of feeling pain he just might have an understanding of euthanasia

[cyglet]

5. Has the man

ever even BEEN to the Netherlands?

[Cali_Democrat]

12. Good question. n/t

[CTyankee]

14. like so many Americans, he seems happy in his ignorance.

Let him talk about his family members in Italy who are strong Communist Party members! Since the guy likes to talk about his immigrant Italian forebears, I say let's have more of their views!

[usrname]

54. Heck, that guy

hasn't SEEN the nether regions for ages.

[LiberalFighter]

55. Has the man

ever been to Heaven?

Not likely to ever go there. St Peter will make sure that nothing with his DNA will be able to cross to the other side of the Pearly Gates. They won't even consider any loopholes.

[airplaneman]

6. The words compulsive liar comes to my mind when I view this video.

Actuall it really must be one of two things.
Either this guy is so stupid he does not know what his is saying.
OR he is a compulsive liar. Either way I do not want him as president.
I actually had a friend in college who was a compulsive liar. I saw such a need in him to impress others that he had stories that were hard to believe. In fact they were lies and he actually seemed to believe them. This guy gets to be more obvious with every word coming out of his mouth. I guess those who vote for him will be compulsively stupid!
-Airplane

[Sinistrous]

7. Spreading the big lie.

SOP for his ilk.

[lunasun]

8. how many countries and religions is this freaknut gonna insult????

jeez a board at Vegas is gotta go up soon

[DebJ]

9. That's easy to answer:

a)as many as it takes to start a war
b)unless the Newt can start one first

[TreasonousBastard]

10. It makes no difference that it's a lie, nor does it...

make a difference that it's so outlandish nobody's bothering to report on it.

What does make a difference is that the people he's aiming it at will believe it, and no amount of truth will dissuade them.

Nor will they bother to associate the abortions of 50-60 years ago, and those terrible doctors (not all of whom were doctors) with the deaths and misery of women who got those abortions.

[no_hypocrisy]

11. Forced?

The Netherlands legalized euthanasia and had to restrict foreigners who were coming to the country to find a peaceful dignified ending to their lives. They didn't want their country to become a tourist haven.

[bayareamike]

16. Quick question: is the guy filming the video who says "wow" a couple of times

a liberal who is disgusted by the lies or is he a fundie who is actually buying into this bullcrap?

Santorum is one rat SOB.

[Rex]

17. Did you expect otherwise?

Like a sane and rational approach? This is a GOP poster boy! Why would facts matter!?!

[Old and In the Way]

18. Rick gets his facts from a box of Cheery-Nut Coal Serial Flakes

Direct from the Koch Brother's Heartland - feeding Americans bullshit, one scoop at a time.

[krispos42]

19. And 90% of all of Planned Parenthood's money is spend on abortions*

*this is not intended to be a factual statement

[Vinca]

21. Reality aside, Santorum wants to do away with Medicare so

the elderly in this country will end up wearing "please euthanize me" bracelets.

[demosincebirth]

23. I guess he just makes the stuff up! No political advisor would tell him to say crap like that.

[lumpy]

50. Santorum strikes me as one who does not take advice from anyone..

He is a man unto himself and his regressive religious beliefs. A religious zealot akin to the Taliban.

[LeftishBrit]

24. NOT so. Good grief.

Does he know anyone from the Netherlands? Has he ever been there?

I do, and I have. He is talking a load of rubbish. More demonization of modern Europaean countries by someone who only likes the mediaeval sort!

[dembotoz]

25. he thinks the netherlands is where tinkerbell lives

and the name tinkerbell sure sounds gay......

[marmar]

27. Just make shit up and count on your dumb-ass followers to believe all of it.

It's been working for Repugs for decades.

[Douglas Carpenter]

28. I still think he would make a great Republican nominee!!

[SemperEadem]

29. how would he know--he's never been there

[CTyankee]

38. and he knows most of his audience haven't either. hell, they probably don't even have

passports...and why would they? They can live in their own idea of "bliss" right here in the US of A and we're #1, right?

[elehhhhna]

30. Aha! So Michelle Bachmann is his factchecker, huh?

[LiberalEsto]

31. What does the Netherlands have to do with youth in Asia?

Are they forcing 50% of those youth in Asia to live in the Netherlands?

What's that you say?

Never mind.

[James48]

32. Please oh Please

make this guy the republican nominee.

What a great way for our President to win in a landslide, when the public gets a load of this quack.

[zappaman]

48. I feel the same way

He and his ilk have remade the Republican party and any rational Repubs left will sit the election out.
Not to mention the independents who would never vote for this idiot.
Could give us Congress...

[HeiressofBickworth]

33. He makes me want to vomit

I had a very dear friend who lived in Holland. She had ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). The final event in the disease would have been strangling to death due to lack of breathing muscles. She was more afraid of the horrible end in store for her than she was of dying itself. She availed herself of the assisted suicide process. It wasn't easy -- she had to have two doctors, one who was a complete stranger to her, agree that she was close enough to death to warrant assisting her. It was the stranger who said she had to wait. Her friends were appalled -- she was suffering, not able to speak, swallow, eat, drink. What the hell were they waiting for. In the end, she and her sons went to the hospital, but only the sons came home.

How DARE this piece of shit manufacture such nonsense about a process that is difficult to obtain in the first place. He's just pulling statistics out of his ass, like he always does. I live in Washington state. We've adopted a Death with Dignity Act. I thought of my friend during the entire voting process.

[rocktivity]

36. They shoot horses in your friend's condition

Last edited Tue Feb 21, 2012, 10:30 PM - Edit history (1)

don't they?


rocktivity

[Bucky]

34. Santorum should be grateful we don't euthanize for stupid.

Given the entertainment I get out of listening to him spread the idiocy, I'm glad we don't kill the stupid too.

[Botany]

35. so people in the Netherlands wear bracelets that say "please don't kill me?"

Good thing Ricky never makes anything up.

[Amonester]

40. Yep. And all printed in English too.

I bet he has stocks in the bracelets printing corporations there.

[Botany]

41. I have visited there and I didn't see any such bracelets.

He is either crazy or a liar or just a crazy liar.

[newspeak]

45. wow, it seems to show what he thinks about his constituents

he can say anything to the believers and they probably swallow it right down. I think ricky is a big old fabricator. Because first he states he said "blah" instead of "black"; then it was the planned parenthood 90% abortion rate; and now it's those poor elderly being murdered in the netherlands. These "facts" he's pulling out of his arse for his ignorant followers.

[Botany]

46. Go to the youtube link and read the comments from people who live in Europe.

"Lol, how do you say that: thou shalt not lie? I'm not from the Netherlands,
I'm from Belgium, but half of my family lives in the Netherlands. So I know
that what he says is very much a lie."

Rick would be lucky to carry 10 states if he is the nominee (but we want
Romney as the nominee because Santorum's followers will turn out
to vote and WE HAVE TO WIN THE CONGRESS BACK ..... Romney will
not excite the fundy base to turn out that much)

[jsmirman]

37. I can't wait to hear the Dutch response to this one

something tells me that it will be entertaining.

[muriel_volestrangler]

42. "Rick Santorum's 'Involuntary Euthanasia' Claim Outrages Dutch"

Rick Santorum's claim that the Netherlands advocates mass murder through involuntary euthanasia has prompted a furious backlash from the Western European country, with local news sources calling the Republican a "crazy extreme" candidate making up facts to stir up his political base.
...
In reality, public statistics, which have been recorded since the practice was legalized in the Netherlands in 2002, report that roughly 2 percent of all deaths in the country are due to euthanasia. The idea of "involuntary euthanasia," meanwhile, is baffling to residents of the liberal state, implying as it does patients wheeled off to die the moment their vitals drop.
...
Dutch public broadcaster Radio 1 called Rick Santorum's assertions evidence of "fact-free politics," and its coverage has caused the story to be picked up by many of the Netherlands' national media.

GeenStijl, an offbeat publication, dismissed Santorum as a "crazy extreme Catholic," while PowNed TV remained baffled by his "surreal view of the Netherlands."

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/301702/20120220/rick-santorum-euthanasia-netherlands-dutch-backlash.htm

[Ichingcarpenter]

44. Santorium now says he meant

the Holland tunnel.


Thanks for the update

[Amonester]

47. And to think that "crazy extreme Catholic" now wants to become...

the most powerful individual on Earth, and that he raises MILLION$ for it is...

One of the scariest thought ever.

Only in America...

[jsmirman]

56. Knew that wouldn't take long

a little more outraged than funny, but I was pretty certain we could count on the dutch with this one

[Cal33]

49. What percentage of whatever Santorum says is worth anything at all? I wonder how

such a knucklehead could be running for president.

[flexnor]

51. why do we worry about youthinasia?

we should be worried about our OWN children!

[Clouseau2]

52. The stupid ... It burns ussss!

Some background:

I was born in Holland. I am fluent in Dutch.

Almost my entire family lives in Holland. I go visit whenever I can.

I'm about to go back to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday. She's surrounded by loving and caring family members, neighbors and friends.

The subject of euthanasia has never come up. She doesn't need a bracelet. She's not running to another country, she's quite happy where she is, still living in the same house for 40 years.

Mr. Frothy Sweater Vest himself, Rick Santorum is full of what his name means.

[HopeHoops]

53. You know, every time I think Mr. Frothy has said the dumbest thing possible, he spouts out another.

[jbrading]

57. The latest nonsense from Rick InSaneitorium

I have a best friend who has been an ER nurse in Holland for 30 years and they are outraged over this garbage this clown is dishing out.
This is another example of a US politician, on the right or the left, dishing out outright lies about European countries to push their political agendas thinking that no one will uncover their crap. And if I did not have my friend from their to inform me of this LIE I would probably believe it too.
The Netherlands has one of the best healthcare systems in THE WHOLE WORLD and they are extremely insulted by this inference that they are a bunch of murderers "over there".
The only people who wear bracelets are those who are volunteering to be organ donors. A doctor over there LOSES THEIR LICENSE AND GOES TO JAIL IF THEY EUTHANIZE SOMEONE INVOLUNTARILY!!! This is outrageous and I for one am gonna contact every single news organization in the US and let them know.