Wheeee! This was a REALLY REALLY BIG PROJECT for the second semester of my eighth grade year. It was worth TWO HUNDRED POINTS in EACH OF MY CORE CLASSES!!!! THAT IS A BIG GRADE!!! Luckily, it could be a group project. The “controversial topic in science” that my group chose ended up as euthanasia. Maaan, it was a bugger getting all that information for just a FIFTEEN MINUTE PRESENTATION…. Thankfully, since I had made it annoyingly obvious that I was sick of pretty much all of the websites we were looking at, the other two girls in my group graciously let me create the entire “entertainment” aspect of the presentation. They worked on the PowerPoint show, while I was left in charge of the puppets. He…he…he…. Poor girls. They had no idea how much fun I have with projects like that. During spring break, despite the incessant distraction of my freakish holiday body clock (bedtime 1 AM, wake up 1 PM), AND the fact that I had just recently been lent the ENTIRE SERIES OF RUROUNI KENSHIN, I was somehow able to procure a puppet show that boggled ‘em all. It boggled my tiny class enough, in fact, that at the end of the day we had to go and present…IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE CLUSTER. AND the beginner orchestra class, actually, because we stole the auditorium during their class time. ‘Course, with my horrible luck, I was at the point of throttling the poor puppets at the end of the day because our group had the gracious luck to go and present…first. In the class, AND in the auditorium. Yeah it was hell. But, a hell worth paid for, because our group CAME OUT ON TOP!!! As in, REAL TOP!!! We had the highest grade in the cluster!! AND, the reason it WAS the highest grade, was because it was FULL POINTS!! Perfect score!! Hahhhh, I’m still drooling from that. I have got to tell you, that project lifted my US History grade so much… ^_^  Enjoy this thing, guys. R&R, though! I want ot know if I should put more of these up. ^_^

Jennifer K, Sarah H, Emma K

Puppet Show on Euthanasia

CHARACTERS: Rabid Hillbilly, Hillbilly2 (hillbilly with a shotgun), Anti-Euthanasia Activist, Pro-Euthanasia activist, Dr. Kevorkian, Jeanne L

(Rabid hillbilly runs across stage ranting. After coming to a stop, continue [QUIETLY] ranting and writhing in place through presentation.)

PUPPETLESS VOICE: Paw! Git the shotgun! Grampa’s foamin’ at the mouth agin!

(Hillbilly 2 enters)

Hillbilly 2: Awright! Lemme at ‘im! This is the eleventh time this week!

(Anti-E. activist leaps out of bushes)

Anti: STOP! Euthanasia is wrong!

Hillbilly 2: Why you’s gotta bring foreign kids inna this?

Anti: Killing somebody out of compassion is the wrong way to handle an incurable disease! Everybody who is suffering deserves to be given palliative care….

(Anti goes over to hug rabid hillbilly. Rabid hillbilly rants loudly and bites anti. Anti dies.)

(Pro-euthanasia activist jumps out of bushes.)

Pro: Fear not! I have a quick solution to solve this whole problem!

Hillbilly 2: Not another one o’ you dad gum city hicks…

Pro: I see that one of you has been inflicted with a terrible disease. But, the cure is not readily available to you! My dear friend Dr. Kevorkian and I can easily help you with the suffering!

(Dr. Kevorkian comes out of bushes.)

Dr: Hello.

Pro: Many people have come to Dr. Kevorkian here begging for ways to destroy their suffering.

Dr: And I give them relief! I kill them!

Hillbilly 2: Ain’t that what we was plannin’ to do, though?

(Suddenly Anti leaps back up out of bushes)

Anti: Stop! Euthanasia is wrong!

Pro: I thought you were dead.

Anti: While Dr. Kevorkian here may go on preaching about how wonderful it is to die “peacefully” through euthanasia, gaining relief from the suffering, only a quarter of Dr. Kevorkian’s patients were terminally ill in the first place! And besides – you’re supposed to be in jail for second-degree murder!

Dr: Oh well, even if I am in jail, this little family could always just go to Oregon and find another doctor… after all, Oregon is the one state where physician assisted suicide is legal.

Hillbilly 2: Where’s Oregon?

Anti: But still, euthanasia is wrong! While it may seem slightly okay now with all the restrictions on it, eventually, as public opinion finally accepts this as okay, the restrictions will begin to slack off, and we’ll easily begin heading down a slippery slope towards involuntary euthanasia!

Pro: Oh, like that’ll ever happen. What proof do you have that that’s even a possibility?

Anti: Nazis.

Dr: What did you call us?

Anti: I said, Nazis.

Pro: WHY YOU-

Hillbilly 2: Here, use this.

(Hillbilly 2 gives Pro the shotgun.)

Anti: No, what I’m saying is that the Nazis are proof.

(Pro and Dr look at each other.)

Anti: Before WWII, in Germany, euthanasia was perfectly legal. And when WWII began, so was involuntary euthanasia – but only for people who were mentally or physically handicapped. Then, to create a perfect country, involuntary euthanasia was OK’d for those simply “not wanted by society.”

(Pro drops shotgun.)

Dr: Well then we’ll just have to make sure that doesn’t happen, won’t we?

(Anti growls.)

Dr: Look, it’s nice and all that you’re so worried about the safety of mankind as we know it, but you’re forgetting one important detail. This is a free country! We have the freedom of choice! We should be able to choose if we want to end our life sooner than expected.

Jeanne L: Of course not!

EVERYONE: Huh?

(Jeanne L enters.) (AN: Jeanne L was my Conformation *I know it’s spelled “wrong.” That’s just what I think of the #$% program* teacher at church. She’s a hospice worker, and therefore a good interview source for one of the biases on euthanasia *anti, obviously*. We had to have mention of our interview somewhere in our presentation, so she got placed in here.)

Jeanne: I am a representative from the Catholic Church, and on behalf of Catholics everywhere, stop this nonsense now!

Dr: Who are you?

Jeanne: I am Jeanne La’Montagne, and I am here to take this poor man to a hospice.

Hillbilly 2: What the heck’s a hospice?

(Rabid Hillbilly gives one last gargle/yell and lays motionless. PUPPETEER SLIPS HAND OUT.)

Jeanne: A hospice is a facility made for the care and treatment of the terminally ill. We provide palliative care!

Hillbilly 2: Um, guys?

Pro: A hospice? Hmph! I’ll never allow you to take this poor, suffering man to some nuthouse where he’ll just be forced to die slowly and painfully!

Hillbilly 2: Guys?

Jeanne: He won’t die slowly and painfully! Palliative care gets rid of the pain! He will die peacefully and in loving care!

Hillbilly 2: I don’t think you need to worry about Paw dyin’ slowly.

Anti: What’s that mean? Are you going to let us take him to a hospice?

Hillbilly 2: He kinda died already.

(Hillbilly 2 knocks limp Rabid Hillbilly puppet off edge of table towards audience.)

Dr: (astutely) (AN: The puppeteer for the good Dr. made me put that in ^_^’) I told you we should have gassed him so he wouldn’t suffer.

(Dr cackles evilly, then everyone exits except hillbilly.)

Hillbilly 2: Bye, paw!

(Hillbilly 2 exits.)

“CURTAIN”