When a migrating goose is ill or injured, other geese stay with the downed goose until it can fly again or dies. They do not drown the disabled goose so they can conveniently resume their flight.

The concept that physicians should not kill unborn babies or hasten the deaths of patients came from Hippocrates, a 400 BC Greek pagan. As Western Civilization rose from barbarism and feudalism, family members and servants could no longer be killed at will by those with power. Until recently, defending life was a cornerstone of Western Civilization.

Our Judeo-Christian heritage is one of life and not of death. Life is proclaimed in the first five books of the Old Testament written after the exodus from Egypt and ancient Egypt’s obsession with death. The current efforts of the secular left are not only directed against life and other fundamental Judeo-Christian values but are actually an attempt to marginalize and destroy the basic values of Western Civilization.

The rapid decline of our societal values is dismaying. However, contrary to what is presented to us by most of the news media, Americans retain their traditional values. According to a Zogby Poll taken shortly after the death of Terri, 79% of those questioned would have opposed taking food and water away from Terri Schiavo had they known the facts in her case.

The glue of families and civilizations is the understanding that the members will care for and protect those who cannot help themselves, including children, the elderly, and the disabled. Family stability cannot survive when a husband can kill his wife with court sanction even when she is not terminally ill, governments can order the execution of disabled persons who have committed no crime, death can be hastened by withdrawing water and food (it takes longer but the result is the same as a barbiturate overdose or lethal injection), and the unborn survive at the convenience of their mother. If the family fails, so will our Nation and civilization.

The political left has claimed to champion the rights of the disabled and opposes capital punishment for criminals. However, these same liberals pushed for the expeditious death of Terri Schiavo and few liberals rose up to oppose her execution. This should have a very chilling effect on the disabled and all of us.

As a surgeon, I have observed the rising clamor that the last six months of someone’s life takes the greatest amount of health care dollars. The obvious solution they are seeking is to eliminate people before they consume this final amount of health care. It is essentially impossible to determine the time of the last six months of anyone’s life. Not to be deterred, some on the political left have a ready answer, simply deny all medical care to those over the age of 75 or 80.

By killing the unproductive, money will be saved by governments, insurance, and heirs. Is this why so many of the political left and news media oppose making Social Security financially viable and able to provide increased retirement income? Is execution to be society’s final solution for the solvency of the welfare state?

It is becoming increasingly expedient to eliminate an unwanted pregnancy, a malformed child, an infant of an undesired sex, a disabled person, the elderly, and others who are nonproductive, inconvenient, and do not vote. When we no longer have the will to take care of others in peril and need, we will no longer be able to depend on others to care for us when we are similarly afflicted.

History has shown us how easy it is to accelerate the elimination of the inconvenient as the Nazis did starting in 1935. Not only did they eradicate ethnic and religious groups they also killed large numbers of disabled persons. Veteran’s homes, insane asylums, and hospitals were rapidly emptied with German citizens being the first victims of the gas chambers and crematoriums. My friend Fritz’s father was in a German veterans’ hospital in 1939. Fritz visited his father on Friday finding him in apparently sound health. On Monday a letter was received that his father died on Sunday of pneumonia.

The Dutch physicians refused to euthanize for the Nazis during WWII. Ironically, they now lead the push for euthanasia. Many Dutch are now so fearful of being prematurely terminated, as physicians apparently frequently disregard government euthanasia regulations, they wear medical bracelets stating they do not want euthanasia.

Killing Terri added power to liberal tyranny. The socialist elite, including judges, will increasingly determine who will be born, live, and die. If they succeed, we will enter a very frightening and dreary new world.

The attacks on families and civilized values, including life, are deeply troubling. It is time for us and for our elected leaders to stand with courage to protect the defenseless and to move the United States back to its Constitutional foundations.

“History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has been either a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse, or a progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster.” General Douglas McArthur