Canada’s Social Progressivism Boxes Itself in
[guest post by JVW]
This is just a really sad story, as related by Wesley Smith at National Review Online:
At least one transgendered individual has been legally euthanized because of profound regret over transitioning. The killing took place in in Belgium ten years ago. From my piece on the tragedy at NRO, quoting the Daily Mail story about the case:
In the hours before his death he told Belgium’s Het Laatse Nieuws: ‘I was ready to celebrate my new birth. But when I looked in the mirror, I was disgusted with myself. ‘My new breasts did not match my expectations and my new penis had symptoms of rejection. I do not want to be… a monster.’…
The “treatment” for that despair? A lethal jab. Compassion, right?
Now, there’s a similar story out of Canada. A transgender woman named Lois Cardinal wants to be euthanized because of terrible pain being experienced from–and deep remorse over–having been transitioned surgically. From the Daily Mail story:
An indigenous transgender woman has slammed Canada‘s healthcare system for rejecting her euthanasia request despite the pain she endures from a surgically-built vagina.
In social media posts, Lois Cardinal, a self-proclaimed ‘sterilized First Nations post-op transsexual’ said regret over her medical transition led her to apply for a lethal injection in January.
Cardinal, who lives on a native reserve near St. Paul, Alberta, posted her medical records from the request online this week to draw attention to radical gender ideology.
Canada has been gung-ho for euthanasia under the current government led by the shallow and trifling snot-nosed Prime Minister. As seen in those European countries which allow euthanasia, mission creep tends to take the criteria for qualification from “has a terminal disease which will kill them slowly and horribly” inevitably down to “not feeling so great; kind of wants to be done with life.” Under normal circumstances in a progressive society like Canada, Lois Cardinal would almost assuredly be gently guided through the process and allowed to abruptly end her life. But of course in this case we have another progressive mania involved, namely the rush to affirm any desire to change one’s sex, no matter the pretext. And Canadian social justice leftists now find themselves in a crazy dilemma where on the one hand Lois Cardinal ought to be able to take her own life because she has lost all will to live and she can credibly argue that she experiences at least some constant physical pain, yet on the other hand that physical pain comes from a life-altering decision she made with the full blessing, support, and cooperation of the Canadian government. Ms. Cardinal’s problem is that her physician believes that her pain could be treated and overcome, yet as Mr. Smith points out that’s so often the case in other euthanasia situations where the state nevertheless allows the sufferer to proceed with the final solution.
What’s happening of course is that the Canadian government, like the rest of the trans lobby, wants everyone to believe that anybody who undergoes transition has a very satisfying experience and thereafter lives a full and happy life in their new gender. But the evidence we’ve seen from countries like the U.K. and elsewhere who are years ahead of us on the trans bandwagon is that plenty of people end up regretting their decision, long after it is too late to do anything about it. Canada can’t let Lois Cardinal take her own life, because that stands as a stark rejoinder to the idea that allowing people to transition always turns out to be a positive and healthy experience. Yet keeping her alive gives her a forum to speak out about her experience, though it won’t surprise anyone here to learn that the major news media in Canada are quite content to ignore this story.
Mr. Smith also points out that Lois Cardinal’s status as a a member of the First Nations indigenous people of Canada complicates the issue, as allowing her to die would likely bring unwanted publicity to the Trudeau government and invite the question whether they consider First Nation lives to be more disposable than the lives of other Canadians.
In the end, there is a strong argument that anybody else who is experiencing the sort of pain that Lois Cardinal experiences would be allowed to quietly take his or her or their own life. That’s an indictment of how cavalier Canadian society is to euthanasia. But the trans woman from the First Nations tribe is far too much of a hot potato for the Canadian establishment, so she’ll be kept alive so that neither the trans nor the euthanasia lobbys have to face the consequences of their disgusting advocacy.
– JVW
Maybe she should run for Parliament.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 7/31/2023 @ 10:45 amI take it that those who guided her to her “decision” are immune from malpractice suits.
Kevin M (ed969f) — 7/31/2023 @ 10:47 amEven pointing to the existence of regretters is in some quarters viewed as “transphobic” or hateful & bigoted. Also, saying “let’s slow down when it comes to minors,” or noting that natural puberty tends (surprise!) to make people feel more like their natal sex.
If adults who decide to “transition” end up happier in the long run, that’s fine with me. What’s puzzling is that when there’s a disconnect or discomfort between mind and body, the default is to conclude that the problem lies entirely in the body, which must therefore be changed. Apparently it’s thought demeaning to suggest it might be a psychological issue — even though we acknowledge a wide range of psychological issues and think they should be treated with compassion rather than moral judgment. And why would anyone not think the best outcome is for the person to become more comfortable with his/her body — to accept who he/she is — rather than go through the arduous process of creating a simulacrum of the opposite sex?
And if gender is all in the mind, why would the body need to be changed in accordance with the basic biological definition of gender? I acknowledge that some males lean (relatively) toward female, and some females lean toward male, for reasons rooted in biology. Occasionally it hasn’t been immediately obvious to me if someone is male or female, and not only because of self-presentation. Once, it was someone sitting next to me at a Handel opera, and I concluded that the person was female identifying as male or perhaps nonbinary, probably not having resorted to hormonal or surgical intervention. I seized an opportunity to exchange a few words during intermission. How could I disrespect someone who goes to a Handel opera?
It doesn’t bother me if people identify as “nonbinary” when, in way, they are so by nature. And again, if adults are happier after choosing to “transition,” great. But it should be possible — without calling down charges of bigotry — to talk about the downside and to give more attention to alternatives before rushing into radical bodily alterations.
Radegunda (ad7411) — 7/31/2023 @ 11:43 amThis is rather the opposite of intersectionality bingo, isn’t it?
norcal (2a08d3) — 7/31/2023 @ 12:57 pmIqt’s disgusting and disturbing that we tell mentally ill people to mutiliate themselves to feel better.
We wpuldn’t tell an anorexic to keep starving or someone who doesn’t recognize his limb to cut it off, but because there are politics involved in the LBGTQIAA+ which poison people and the government to go along destroying people instead of getting them the help to accept who they really are.
NJRob (5a0d7c) — 7/31/2023 @ 1:01 pmHow many people commit suicide every day? Minutia the bane of conservatism.
asset (bab026) — 7/31/2023 @ 1:52 pmA sad story, indeed.
This is just abhorrent. I cannot imagine how immense and devastating her pain is, 24/7, with no relief in sight. If she wants to end her life and the government refuses permission, I hope she finds a way to effectively do the job herself. The trans and euthanasia lobbies be damned.
Dana (2ec12e) — 7/31/2023 @ 5:18 pmHow many people commit suicide every day? Minutia the bane of conservatism.
One is a tragedy, but one hundred is a statistic. Isn’t that how your side has historically viewed it, asset?
JVW (581368) — 7/31/2023 @ 7:38 pmThis is very sad and my heart goes put to everyone dealing with these issues. I wish they could find some way to cope with their situations.
My family was terribly harmed by mistakes made by a kindly, well-meaning, but foolishly wrong physician. Maybe I just tell myself this to deal with the consequences we face, but I believe people can make hardship have meaning. We have learned a lot, we try to help others, and I know we have contributed to medical research. That makes hardship easier.
DRJ (ba8685) — 7/31/2023 @ 8:26 pm@8 We feel for all (maybe not enemies of the people) We don’t forget to see the forrest because of the trees. Conservatives can’t see the forrest because the trees keep getting in the way. My side is big objectives we don’t let the group be harmed because of individualism getting in the way. In cave people time when you committed a heinous crime you were punished by forced to leave the cave and don’t come back you are now venture capitalist free trade economic libertarian like the koch brothers.
asset (c3c3a3) — 8/1/2023 @ 12:02 amGeorge will pundit and anti-populist never trumper talked about two nineteenth century socialists walking in the streets of london.(now londonistan) They saw a beggar and one reached into his pocket for a copper. The other one stopped him saying you will be delaying the revolution. Will talked of moderating his libertarianism to delay the revolution. As I am a non-exploitive capitalist not a socialist or communist I have no problem seeking a less harsh way to solve inequality.
asset (c3c3a3) — 8/1/2023 @ 12:55 amThe progressives only care about the victims they seek support from. Other victims too bad. Suffer. And please do not speak.
Michael Harris (d4682d) — 8/1/2023 @ 2:15 pm