The Value of Human Life

In the Netherlands, under the ominous Groningen Protocol, doctors are killing children with deformities - sometimes without the consent of the parents;

... Under the Groningen protocol, if doctors at the hospital think a child is suffering unbearably from a terminal condition, they have the authority to end the child's life. The protocol is likely to be used primarily for newborns, but it covers any child up to age 12.

A parent's role is limited under the protocol. While experts and critics familiar with the policy said a parent's wishes to let a child live or die naturally most likely would be considered, they note that the decision must be professional, so rests with doctors.

2) In the U.K. recently two doctors were not criminally charged in a case where they aborted a fetus because they saw evidence of a cleft palate;

3) In Florida, Terri Schaivo continues to starve to death per the wishes of her husband and rulings from state and federal court;

4) The government of the U.K. supports stem cell research that is tantamount to human cloning.

What - if anything - do these four situations say about the value of human life in our society? How did we come to this? How prominent a role will these issues play in future U.S. elections?

I'd be interested to hear the thoughts of those who believe these are positive developments for society.