Sunday 17th November 2024
Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God has God made mankind.
Genesis 9:6 (NIV)
‘Assisted Dying’
You will no doubt have heard debates in the media concerning a proposed law to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults in England and Wales. The bill – called the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – has been introduced in the House of Commons, and MPs are due to debate and vote on the bill on 29 November (although further debates and votes would be needed before the bill becomes law). The bill would make it legal for over-18s who are terminally ill to be given assistance to end their own life.
The debate is accompanied by heart-rending stories of dearly loved people who have suffered the most agonising and traumatic deaths. Surely, the argument runs, anything we can do to limit such suffering should be done? It is hard not to be moved by such stories, and the desire to limit suffering is surely right.
However, as the debate reveals, things are not that simple. The campaign for assisted dying is presented as a matter of individual choice (and we live in a day when individual choice reigns supreme, as witnessed in the arguments for same-sex ‘marriage’ and transgenderism).
But how truly individual is this choice? The word ‘assisted’ gives us a clue: the individual needs assistance to die! To put it bluntly, they will either be assisted in killing themselves or someone else will be given permission to kill them.
And who will be doing the assisting? Loved ones, including family members, and health professionals. Can we really ensure that undue pressure – whether intended or not – will not be put on the terminally ill? And how can we prevent them feeling it is their duty to die, and so relieve the burden on others (whether financial or emotional)? And is it right that health professionals, whose primary duty is to preserve life, should now be asked to end it?
We are told that the safeguards being proposed would be the strictest in the world. But surely the strictest safeguard would be not to make any change? And no doubt much could be done to improve the standards of palliative care, so that people can die as comfortably as possible, but that is very different to helping people to kill themselves.
For the Christian, the ultimate reason for opposing ‘assisted dying’ is that our lives are given to us – and taken from us – by God, and they are not to be taken by us. In opposing this legislation, we are not simply trying to force our views on others, but trying to love our neighbours as ourselves.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for the precious gift of life. Teach me to value all life, to preserve life as best I can, and to live life well, until that day you ask me to lay it down. Amen.
Yours warmly, in Christ,
Chris Hobbs (Senior Minister)