What is it that haunts the nightmares of parents of children with disabilities—with cerebral palsy, let’s say, or, given our psychologized times, perhaps even a propensity towards depression? I discovered the answer in a recent conversation with a friend who has a son with Down syndrome. It is the fear that when the parents pass away, the child will become vulnerable to state-enforced euthanasia. The recent case of the “influencer” who had his unborn child killed for the crime of having Down syndrome focused attention on the womb. But those fortunate enough to have parents who unconditionally love them from conception may still face the harsh reality of a society that considers them unworthy of life when their mother and father die.

Of course, those pushing the legislation and working hard to alter the intuitions of the culture in favor of euthanasia all have one thing in common: agency. They are typically educated, professional people. They are not vulnerable, in the way that babies in the womb, people with Down syndrome, or the elderly with Alzheimer’s disease are. They can make decisions in their own best interests. They are not subject to the whims of those who will decide whether their lives are—or are not—worth living. To put it bluntly, they have power. The vulnerable do not. Read more»

Carl Trueman, “Murder in Disguise:
Don’t Be Fooled by the Language of Compassion From Advocates of Euthanasia” | World Magazine | June 22, 2026.

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