Justifying Torture/Quality of Life

I have seen a disturbing correlation between all of the latest headlines. The big headline de jour is whether the torture of prisoners by our own military officers at detention centers should be considered justifiable if good information comes out of the use of such torture. I remember a time not too long ago when papers became available for medical use from Germany. These papers were full of experiments (most done in various forms of human torture) in the name of Science. The data compiled could possibly be used in many different ways, to help mankind but at what expense & the controversy was, should it even be considered at all. So many lives had been horrifically abused and many even extinguished without regard of the victims in the process.

Today, I heard that a mother had served her "full" sentence for the murder of her own child. She was seen leaving the jail. Her sentence was four years in prison and her daughter, it was explained, was a child with downs syndrome. Most folks seemed to think this was a justifiable amount of time given the circumstances.

The day before on the news, there was talk of outrage at a Florida Prison for using an electrical shock on some visiting students to the prison. How dare this prison do such a thing to these children and yet I know for a fact that more electrical shocks (yes, plural) happen to children at what is considered to be an "educational center" for children with challenges. Children have been known to be shocked as many as 77 times as punishment at the Judge Rotenberg Education Center which is still "business as usual" at present. I suppose if you are a challenged person with limited ability it is justified by some, to be treated this way

As for stem cell research killing an embryo to save another life is justifiable to some. Killing small animals by crushing them under your heel is justifiable torture and considered as Freedom of Speech to others. Still taking the feeding tube away from the old and infirm to allow them to slowly starve to death is okay for yet another group of people.

What it all boils down to is Quality of Life. Some folks feel that their quality of life is worth more than anothers. If his life is more worthwhile than her life, if my life is worth more than your life, if their lives are worth more than our lives, then whatever is done can be justifyable.

What happens to humanity when they realize that they can do such a wide range of things but then they forget to ask themselves if they should do them. Do we become like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein? Not the creation that could not help but be who he was but the Doctor that felt justified in his experiment thus becoming a True Monster in the process.