A voice of sanity
Dear Friends,
Dan Poulter is an MP who still works as a doctor. He has this to say concerning the issue of assisted dying and so-called “right to die” legislation: “I cannot see that we could make legislation on this without leaving people open to abuse … I’m not doubting the good motives of most people, but I think as a policy it is too well-meaning, too detached from real life. Human nature has many drivers other than compassion – especially when there are large sums of money or houses involved.” How right he is!
There does seem to be a naïve confidence in human nature, an assumption that people can be trusted to act in the best interests of others rather than themselves. But in many other areas of life we don’t trust people to do the right thing. Why do we put locks on our houses and our cars? Why do we protect our computers with passwords? Why do we insist that signatures are witnessed? Don’t we trust people not to steal? Don’t we trust them to tell the truth? Apparently not. Why, then, do we imagine, people can be trusted to do the right and selfless thing when it comes to ending someone else’s life?
This belief in the fallenness of human nature, our natural tendency to do what suits ourselves, will increasingly mark Christians out from the rest of society. Christians believe in sin! And we believe in a Saviour, who will “redeem us from all wickedness and … purify for himself a people that are his very own” (Titus 2:14).
Chris Hobbs,
Vicar.