The Gray Tsunami
Planned Parenthood is synonymous with abortion. The Hemlock Society is just as connected with euthanasia and assisted suicide. Now that I am a part of the gray tsunami, I am even more interested to follow the name changes.
Name Changes
Planned Parenthood’s name change from the Birth Control League has stood the test of time. Proving that no matter how horrifying your product is, if you package it right, you can get away with murder.
The Hemlock Society has had numerous name changes. Their foundational mission has not changed, but they have sought to repackage poisoning people to death with terms like ‘terminal sedation’ or ‘death with dignity’ and ‘physician aid in dying’.
The difficulty is that we can all see the people who are killed by the latter. Whereas Planned Parenthood’s victims are silent and hidden, those of the Compassionate Choices groups are full grown, have had families and established, documented lives and so, exterminating them is a little trickier.
Euphemisms like the term, birth control, were used in Planned Parenthood’s early days, then they phased in contraception, which is technically different. Birth control as it’s actual definition would dictate is to control birth, meaning simply to control the outcome of birth of a tiny human being. They are either dead or alive.
It’s a bit harder to sugar coat the deliberate killing of an elderly adult, but not if we learn from the propaganda experts at Planned Parenthood.
Mere Propaganda
First, prep the culture. Terms like the gray tsunami or the silver tsunami carry the connotation of great destruction coming our way. Terms like these have a subtle impact on our subconscious minds.
Our aging population is a result of numerous factors, not the least of which is that the US alone has killed close to 60,000,000 preborn children. That is sixty million people not innovating, not contributing, not serving our country currently. Our population is becoming disproportionate because of our own decisions.
Next, push the discourse into the making of public policy. This is easy because these are real people that need real resources and everything from housing to nutrition and medical care to recreation can be a part of the discussion. Even though these are the people who built the US, and they paid their dues, many imply that they are now going to draw a disproportionate amount of substance from the economy.
Subtle Manipulation
Lastly, make it sound like you care about autonomy. Personal choice is important. It is so important that our Creator told us clearly, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life, that you and your descendants might live.”
Everyone dies. That’s just a part of life. There is currently no way around that. Allowing someone to die is a misnomer.
The decision to withhold medical intervention isn’t the same as intentionally poisoning a person to death. It’s not even a fine line. There is a distinct difference.
As a nurse, I worked in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabs, and home care. I did some hospice work too. The change in the culture over the last 25 years is palpable. The value for human life has plummeted. With such great advances in technology, one would hope for better outcomes, but the legacy of Planned Parenthood and Death with Dignity groups has downgraded human dignity and relegated anyone considered useless to the ash heap of the gray tsunami.
For our part, in our everyday lives, we have a duty to stand against these assaults on people. We can do this by thinking about the terms we allow to be used when talking about people’s lives.
What have you to say?