Assisted dying: a crunch vote approaches

‘If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again…’ One politician who has taken this mantra to heart is Lord Falconer.

When I first joined CARE (Christian Action Research and Education), his Private Members’ bill to legalise assisted suicide for terminally ill adults with six months or less to live was before the House of Lords. In the end, time ran out and it failed to progress enough to become law.

Now Lord Falconer is back, with another Private Members’ bill which aims to fundamentally change the law and permit terminally ill adults with six months left to live the option of an assisted suicide. It will be his fifth attempt.

Lord Falconer’s assisted suicide bill came second in the ballot. This means we’re expecting a major debate and vote in November. It also means there will be plenty of time left in this parliamentary session for further scrutiny in the Lords and then of course, the bill must make its way through all stages in the Commons as well.

I have written extensively about the issue of assisted suicide in these pages before. It will therefore come as no surprise to learn that I, and the organisation I work for, oppose this latest attempt to legalise assisted suicide. We are already running a campaign against legalisation of assisted suicide in Scotland and our attentions now turn, yet again, to Westminster.

But I want to acknowledge that this is a very hard issue. In our opposition to it, we will never get anywhere unless we can show people that we understand the impulse and desire behind this law change.

This starts by being honest. The UK is a world leader when it comes to palliative care, a holistic form of end-of-life care that addresses all the needs of the patient – physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. Sadly, despite this, it does not work in every situation. There are awful deaths, filled with pain, agony and suffering. We do ourselves no service when we ignore this reality. It happens and it is deeply sad.

The key question, though, is whether it is therefore right and wise to allow patients who meet certain criteria the opportunity for an assisted suicide. This would involve doctors giving the patient access to lethal drugs, which can, occasionally, cause awful complications when taken.

Lots of people, including Christians, would say yes. Other Christians instinctively think the answer is no but, perhaps due to personal experience, have a nagging doubt in their minds and hearts. Maybe, just maybe, it would be okay to legalise assisted suicide?

Space does not permit the chance to engage with this line of thinking. But I want to stress that as Christians, and especially as followers of Jesus who love the Bible, we must answer the question: What does God think about assisted suicide? What does the Bible teach us? We must then submit our personal feelings and experiences to the wisdom of the Lord, from His word.

It is my contention that on this issue of assisted suicide, we are not left in the dark. The Bible is clear. The sixth commandment says: You shall not murder. This means any premeditated move to take life, or help someone take their own life, is forbidden by God. Now add in the reality of God’s sovereignty, that He is the One who gives life and takes it away (1 Samuel 2:6). But also remember His goodness (Psalm 119:68). He is a good God and all He does is good. When He forbids murder, which includes assisted suicide, it is because He loves human beings and knows we need boundaries to protect us from others and sadly, sometimes, from ourselves.