Congratulations! You're Born! Now You Can Die

I'm still reflecting on the 30 year old man who died at the GOP debates. I discussed this in my last post, but I want to explore the further implications of the right live and die in this country. Obviously, the Republicans feel that a 30 year old man of good health, should he come down with a life-threatening illness and has no health insurance, should die. Of course, if you don't have health insurance (regardless of your position in life), then you can just go die. You deserve it.

Hold it now, wait a minute... if you're not born yet, then you aren't allowed to die. The anti-abortion movement (largely represented by Conservatives) leans on the idea of "life is sacred", that is unless you have been born and don't have health insurance.

But wait! There's more! If you can't make a decision yourself to end your life, then you have to live. Consider Terri Schiavo, who was forced to be kept alive on feeding tubes with numerous, expensive, life-prolonging measures undertaken to keep her alive in a vegetative state. She had no conscious choice whether she wanted to live or die as a vegetable. In fact, a law was enacted to keep her alive, while the husband has to continue paying for expensive care and treatment for his brain-dead wife (her parents think she's conscious).

So, the lesson to be learned is : if you are a fetus or a vegetable, then you are forced to live. If you aren't a fetus or a vegetable, and don't have insurance, you are going to die whether you like it or not.

Why the contradiction on the proponents of life and death and the right to either? It doesn't seem to make any logical sense that you aren't allowed to die if you haven't exited the vaginal canal, because life is sacred; but you aren't allowed to live if you don't have insurance, because... well, I don't know why. I can't say I actually have an answer to this. Maybe it is just an example of how the Conservative mind works.

A recent study has shown (not exclusively, but has some strong evidence) that Conservatives have a more active amygdala (a part of the brain associated with emotions), while Liberals use more of their anterior cingulate cortex (which is associated with logic). Perhaps this can shed some light on the blatant contradictions of the Republican Party, and why they act the way they do (i.e. like a bunch of nutcases).

When does life begin :
Catholic : At the moment of conception.
Baptist : When one is baptized and born in the light of Jesus!
Jew : When the kids move out and the dog finally dies.