Euthanasia is a topic increasingly discussed in the news, but what should be the Christian approach? CARE’s Executive Chairman Lyndon Bowring answers
Recently the Belgian Parliament voted overwhelmingly to allow terminally-ill children of any age to ask for their lives to be ended by lethal injection. This can happen provided these young patients are conscious of their decision, that it is approved by their parents and medical teams, and that they are in great pain for which no alleviating treatment is available. These young people are legally barred from driving, marrying, voting or drinking alcohol until they turn 18 and yet it is deemed appropriate for them to make this deadly choice.
A few days before this, in my view, deeply horrifying decision was made, I listened to a BBC World Service programme on the subject. It was chilling to hear medics, paediatricians and young people suggesting children as young as ten with a terminal illness could show sufficient maturity to decide whether to be given a lethal barbiturate.
I imagine all of us know of people – both adults and children – who have had to struggle with life limiting, terminal illnesses, and the heartache this also causes for their loved ones.
This summer, parliamentarians will debate whether terminally ill adult patients of sound mind with only six months to live should be legally entitled to be helped to commit suicide.
The British Medical Association, which represents doctors, has stood firmly against this, and we hope other medical bodies will continue to do the same, but the media is highlighting a number of very sad cases and there is a battle on to influence public opinion on the issue.
Pro-euthanasia lobbying group Dignity in Dying – previously the Voluntary Euthanasia Society – knows that British society is not ready for full blown euthanasia so they are adopting this ‘softly, softly’ approach; starting with ‘assisted dying’ for a small number of individuals who are suffering.
Lord Falconer in the House of Lords has tabled Bills to permit this, and many genuinely feel this ‘compassionate’ approach is the best way forward, dismissing any concerns that this measure is the start of ‘a slippery slope’ to full-blown euthanasia.
It is only 12 years since Belgium legalised euthanasia for adults and look where they are now – 1,400 cases of euthanasia per year, which is now set to rise to include children. Once assisted suicide for a few very tragic cases becomes acceptable, it is not long before this death culture is extended to others.
We can judge how civilised a society is by the way it cares for its most vulnerable members. Frail elderly people, those with disabilities and serious medical conditions, individuals suffering from mental illness and children are amongst the most vulnerable citizens of the United Kingdom. The concern is that the ‘right to die’ proposed by Lord Falconer and others is in serious danger of becoming for some ‘a duty to die’ so as not to be a burden on others.
The most positive alternative is to be found in the evergrowing hospice movement and the successful development of palliative care for those nearing the end of life.
Here we see love in action. Britain is renowned for pioneering and promoting palliative medicine and care that greatly relieves patients’ suffering, to the end of their natural lives.
CARE, along with other organisations and individuals, will fight assisted suicide legislation in every way we can. In the end everything comes back to the issue of human dignity – the precious value and welfare of men, women and children, who are made in the image of God, crowned with glory and honour, and loved by him.