Courier-Post from Camden, New Jersey • Page 27

2 COURIER-POST, Sunday, May 8, 1994 7B HBBffQg'OOMtft erdict opens gates for euthanasia The Quark quandary proves blind faith My old friend Googie breezed into my study without even a friendly greeting. "And what may you be reading with such serious attention?" he asked. At first I was going to ignore him, pretend I didn't hear any- thing, but then I thought better of it because Googie sees through such tricks. Instead, I figured I'd overwhelm him with the truth, ii "What else," I said, "but the fantastic story about the finding IS of the Top Quark!" I looked at him with all the solemnity I could ot The decision by a Michigan jury to acquit Dr. Jack Kevorkian of a criminal charge that he helped a 30-year-old man kill himself erases an important line between life and death that will not easily be redrawn.

The jury ignored Michigan's law banning assisted suicide and played a semantical game when it Concluded there is a difference between assisted suicide and basing a muster. "I never knew he was lost!" exclaimed my friend. "It's not a he or she but an it. The Top Quark is a thing. It is supposed to be one of the basic materials that have gone into the making of the universe." After saying that, I smiled be 1 tive" people who are going to die anyway (aren't we all?) received "assistance" and even encouragement to begin their adventure with death a little earlier than might have been expected.

As Orient writes: "Instead of buying rice or potatoes or other nutrients, at a cost of at least $100 per year, we could buy condoms for teen-agers, asphalt for roads and salary increases for public school teachers why should society forgo useful projects in order to provide medical care to those who (don't) want to live or to the useless, or eyen to the unwanted?" Yesterday's unthinkables are today's thinkables. Euthanasia, as abortion, is now thinkable, because human life has been devalued. It now has worth only when it is strong and able to produce wealth (or not drain wealth from the rest of us). Like beauty, life is now in the eye of the beholder. We are becoming our God, with power over life and death.

In human hands, such power could become a type of holocaust. It has before. The syndicated writer focuses on the politics of ethical issues. that raises the fundamental, constitutional issue of a patient's right to choose to die." Plaintiffs in the Seattle case claimed a 14th Amendment "equal protection" right to die, the same right claimed by those who successfully argued for the right of a woman to terminate her pregnancy and kill her child. The judge ruled that the rights of "terminally ill, mentally competent adults acting knowingly and voluntarily" are paramount.

The renewed push for euthanasia parallels the debate over national health care. It has serious implications for the sick and the dying. IN HER NEW book, Your Doctor Is Not In, Jane M. Orient, M.D., executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, notes that while euthanasia proponents claim to be interested only in voluntary suicide, should the pressures of health rationing increase (as they surely will), an economic formula could soon be used to determine whose life is worth preserving and whose is not. Imagine the money that could be saved if "unwanted, unproduc person with no prospect of recovery who wants to avoid pain and suffering and take control of his death? But that was not the issue in the Kevorkian trial.

It is one thing, legally and morally, to ask that no extraordinary means be taken to prolong a life. It is quite another to ask someone to help end that life. The Michigan case is the beginning, not the end, of this debate. Kevorkian plans to convene a committee of medical professionals to draft guidelines for the practice of physician-assisted suicide in Michigan. OTHER STATES can be expected to challenge their own assisted-suicide laws.

Although Washington voters rejected a euthanasia initiative in 1991 by a 54-46 percent margin, on Tuesday a federal court in Seattle struck down the state's, ban on physician-assisted suicides. The plaintiffs included three patients suffering from AIDS, cancer and pulmonary disease, four physicians who sought to help them end their lives and a group known as Compassion in Dying. The group's executive director, Unitarian minister Ralph Mero, says "this is the first case nationally person's Suffering. lawyer Correctly Asserted that the verdict "drives a stake into the heart" of the Michigan cause I could see Googie was over-awed. "You see," I continued, "the scientists say there are six different Quarks that make up all matter.

And the sixth one, known as the Top Quark, was finally discovered a few weeks ago!" "How long have they been looking for it?" asked Googie. I explained that hundreds and even thousands of scientists had been looking for the Top Quark since the days of Christ. Now they have found it. "Well," said Googie, "someone should have thought to ask Christ while He was still around. It could have saved them a CAL THOMAS MONSIGNOR S.J.

ADAMO law. As with abortion whose most vigorous proponents argued that the procedure be allowed because a small number of 12-year-olds were being impregnated by stepfathers euthanasia is being introduced to America at the extremes. Who would not feel compassion for a terminally ill ton of trouble. "I don't think so," I told him. "Christ was not interested in such scientific questions.

He was more interested in how people behaved rather than help them solve the riddle of the universe." Part of Ark Road to be closed for repairs I don't know," said Googie. "After I see the Top Quark and ex- amine him a bit, I'll be able to tell you better." I hated to disil-' lusion him but I finally had to tell him that you can't see the quark, not even with the most powerful microscope man made. He looked at me in that skeptical way of his. "Am I supposed I to believe that? Are the scientists now proposing things we can't see but must believe in? I thought that sort of thinking went only i into religion?" Of course I knew what was troubling him. Many times in the past we had argued with atheists who mocked the idea that no one could see God.

They would say, "Do you know why no one could see God? Because God is just the figment of religious huck-1 sters who steal your hard-earned money with such fairy tales. :4 The truth is that what you can't see, doesn't exist!" Who would have believed in our day of enlightenment, that scientists would teach that ultimately matter is invisible just like God's spirit? Residents of eastern Mount Laurel were growing apprehensive last week as an official-looking sign went up on Ark Road, smack in-between two large shopping Centers. "Ark Road will be closed from May 9 to June 6," it read. Now that would be a calamity indeed, since Ark Road is fairly long and heavily traveled, It turns out that only a short portion of Ark will be closed during Cleveland Service Area, located between interchanges 11 and 12 in Woodbridge, will have to wait until they get to the Vince Lombardi stop. That's nearly 25 miles north of Grover Cleveland past Interchange 18E in Ridge-field, just before the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee.

As for the Halsey stop, the authority will retain control over it but is exploring other uses for the site. One idea is to make it an inspection facility for heavy duty diesel trucks, which would help the state carry out its diesel fuel emissions testing program begun last year. The facility could also become a much-needed truck-parking site. If you have a gripe or an observation about getting anywhere in South Jersey, write to "Getting There," care of Barbara S. Rothschild, The Courier-Post, P.O.

Box 5300, Cherry Hill 08034. Call her at 486-2417 or FAX it to 663-2831. Include your phone number, please. Of course, the Scriptures tell us that the heavens declare the greatness of God, the stars proclaim his glory. And yet, God4 is not made up of physical parts, he is a pure spirit.

As i such He is not visible to the naked eye. And now we know that the most important elements in the universe also are invisible! After I expressed such thoughts to Googie, he looked at me and smiled knowingly. Then he left as unexpectedly as he had ar: rived. He never stays around long enough to wear out his welcome. Just long enough to confuse and disturb me.

What a quark! i The writer, once editor of the Catholic Star Herald, is a local pastor. tnai period, and not the built-up portion vhere the sign was first greeted. The sign has since been moved closer to the Bite in question, center will be unaffected, but there are also a funeral home and two residences with entrances on that portion of Ark. Orleans will provide access for the funeral home during regular business hours and when funerals are scheduled. Access to the homes and for emergency vehicles will also be maintained.

Otherwise, most motorists will want to detour via Larchmont Boulevard, which runs parallel to Ark just west of it. SPEAKING of potholes, there still are plenty of them left from the ice and snow beatings we took during the winter. While the state, county and municipal highway departments strain to fix them all, take heed of some advice offered by Andrew Hyde, an asphalt paving contractor in Cherry Hill. He says it's best to bypass potholes by scanning ahead and traversing unfamiliar roads at a moderate speed. "Stay away from lanes used primarily by trucks and buses and the edges of roads, which are usually the most deteriorated.

Water-filled potholes are particularly worthy of avoidance, since muddy water masks actual depth," says Hyde. He adds that soft tires are in grave danger of pothole rupture, so be sure to keep tires inflated to the recommended pressure. Since a really bad pothole can destroy a tire, keep an inflated spare and tire-changing equipment with you. When you sight a pothole: Check lanes beside you for traffic; switch to a smooth lane if possible. Check rearview mirror to make sure you can slow down safely.

Pump the brakes to alert the motorist behind you and also to keep you from skidding. Brake as much as you can before entering the pothole and coasting through. Avoid braking or accelerating while going through the hole. After your pothole experience, inspect tires for bulges that indicate internal damage and fractured cords, and-for damaged rims that cut into them. Check the front alignment and have it set to factory tolerances to avoid having your tires wear unevenly.

N.J. TURNPIKE rest-stop nostalgia buffs will no doubt shed a tear or two upon hearing that the William Halsey Service Area will close at 12:01 a.m. on June 4. The 42-year-old service area, one of the original ones, is located on the northbound side between interchanges 13 and 13A in Elizabeth, Union County. One of the smaller rest stops, it has been experiencing declining revenues.

Named for the admiral in charge of Naval operations in the South Pacific during World War II, it needs repairs and improvements whose costs cannot be justified by the Turnpike Authority. The Halsey was once quite popular, but its fate was probably sealed 12 years ago when Interchange 13A was opened to Newark International Airport and the Port of Elizabeth. Until then, the Halsey was on the Turnpike mainline; but the new interchange obscured it and made it impossible to reach without first getting off the Turnpike onto the exit for 13A. The closing means northbound Turnpike travelers who don't stop for fuel or food at the Grover GETTING THERE BARBARAS. ROTHSCHILD ADVERTISEMENT' REPORT ON EDUCATION just south 6f Route 38 between the Larchmont Medical Center and Union Mill Road.

Although Ark Road is under township jurisdiction, it's a private developer, Orleans that's picking up the tab to reconstruct this bumpy and pothole-ridden stretch part of its commitment to improve certain roads in the neighborhood of its Larchmont and Laurel Creek developments. Plans include straightening out as much as is possible an annoying curve that cuts down visibility on Ark. The work will mean that portion of road will be closed to traffic 24 hours a day, every day, until the job is done in early June. One entrance to the medical Higher Taxes In Store Dennis Testa, President, NJEA South Africa's struggles not over The recent end of South African apartheid was a triumph for global democracy. Its lesson for the world is "never say never." Nelson Mandela is the new president of a unified South Africa, yet a new struggle looms even larger than the one past.

For many centuries that country's great racial divide appeared immutable, but the persistent faith, indomitable courage and raising interest rates for projects that require state borrowing. Hyman C. Grossman, managing director of Standard Poor's, said he is con- cemed about the budget's heavy reliance on reworking the way New Jersey funds its pensions and retiree medical benefits, noting it could hurt future budgets. Grossman warned, "As the State keeps digging into one-shot revenue sources, the fiscal hole just gets deeper." "Governors come and go well before debt is retired," said Grossman. "We have to take a long term view.

We've been around long enough to sense the development of difficulties down the road." NJEA is working for a responsible and prudent state budget. Tens of thousands of school employees have rallied and written to their legislators. This week, the full budget story will be told on CTN and Channel 17. We urge the public to watch this program. On June 12, thousands will rally at the State House in Trenton.

We urge school employees to be there. The governor has asked public employees to trust her with their pensions. But in the same breath that she promised an income tax cut, she said the cut won't hurt schools or force property taxes to rise. Then, she reduced or froze state funding to schools, and schools once again cut programs and services. Still, because of the loss in state aid, higher property taxes are in store.

If this budget passes, even higher taxes will be on the way. Gov. Whitman's proposed budget presents a frightening prospect for public employees: In order to balance the books, the State is planning to defer more than a billion dollars in payments to the state pension fund and health benefits plan. Concerned taxpayers should be as troubled by this prospect as school employees. After all, Gov.

Whitman has stated categorically that pensions and health benefits will be there when school employees retire. And NJEA will be around even if the governor is not to hold the State to that promise, a legal commitment. Just as certainly, taxpayers are going to shoulder huge tax increases caused by today's high-stakes borrowing. "As an analogy," said one actuary of the proposed budget, "think of the pension system as a credit card; the State won't be paying the full cost of its current purchases until 2006, and won't be paying off current purchases plus interest for the next 20 years." In other words, the pension fund would be underfunded far into the future. Borrowing from the fund this way not only weakens its stability, but also raises the cost of borrowing.

Again, according to independent actuaries, borrowing from the pension fund is far more costly than borrowing in the financial markets. Pension actuary Claude Poulin said: "If this set of proposals is adopted, New Jersey will have gone, in just a few short years, from one of the more enlightened pension funding policies to one of the worst, and more importantly, to one of the most irresponsible." Independent actuaries hired by public employee unions are not alone in condemning the proposal. Standard Poor's, the renown bond credit rating firm, has warned that using such one-shot revenue sources can cost taxpayers big dollars by undying hope of the people won out. It is a credit to both Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk that they pursued a resolution to BIBLICAL history records the instance when Israel's prophet, leader and lawmaker, Moses, went before the Egyptian Pharaoh and declared, "Let my people go." As the story goes, Pharaoh released the Israelite slaves.

But although he let the people go after much conflict the former slaves failed to let him go. Wandering in the wilderness after many years of political freedom, Israel had great difficulty achieving existential freedom. Freedom comes at a high premium. The people of South Africa have made a firm down payment. Each installment will require the same determination with which the the first was made.

The past may be behind, but the future, with all its uncertainty, will challenge the human spirit in new ways. If the new regime is capable of navigating the nation's course, without the fear of anarchy, reprisal and retaliation, then democracy, determination, dignity and faith will have achieved a new degree of meaning. Meanwhile, it appears that the golden age of racial democracy is dawning in a land where night never thought it would see day. The old axiom of David now rings true: "Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." The writer, a former local minister, lives In Mount Laurel. Mandela proved that an individual may have his body in chains but his mind can remain free.

From a dungeon to democracy, from prison to the presidency, Mandela symbolizes the faith and courage that holds the key to opening doors that appeared shut and sealed. American blacks and whites would do well to view this triumph as a blueprint for our own social and democratic progress. NO DOUBT, Mandela and other South African freedom fighters took their cues and received inspiration from black America's freedom struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. By overcoming legal segregation and a myriad of other social sanctions and barriers, American blacks demonstrated how democracy could be achieved. But perhaps the one tragic mistake made in the wake of the movement was becoming too comfortable before victory had been completely realized and effectuated.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for the people of South Africa. Opposition forces in the old state apparatus are poised to fight any form of black progress. In addition, the ongoing tribal clashes threaten the bridge-building efforts between black and white political partnership. Since there are those who believe that victory has been secured, it may result in a widespread sense of apathy that often characterizes and accompanies political and social gains by oppressed Rev. D.

KEITH OWENS world's oldest prob- one of the of racial separation. lems, that Believing that we will either live njsssi together as one or die apart as fools, these two men have sealed their place in history. For 27 years, Mandela was Ishut off from the inside of a dungeon. When he emerged, in 1990, it was a celebrated event Around the world people watched 'as he stood victorious over the worst imaginable circumstances. He had triumphed over persecution and bitterness and was hailed as a hero.

By overcoming the nightmare of oppression, Dennis Tola, a classroom teacher in BtrgtnWi, is the eleaed head of 14,000 uachmg staff, support staff and reared mrmfxn of A New fenej Education Asjociooon..