British Lawmakers Vote to Legalize Assisted Suicide, Tragically Devaluing Life

Lawmakers in Britain voted on Friday to legalize physician-assisted suicide in England and Wales.

The House of Commons approved the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in a 330 to 275 vote among the MPs. However, it has not been enacted yet. The bill will face additionally scrutiny in parliamentary committees and future amendments may also be proposed, according to The New York Times.

The bill would legalize physician-assisted suicide for those over 18 and are terminally ill. It stipulates several requirements for residents of England and Wales to be given assistance to die, the BBC reports, including:

They must have the mental capacity to make the choice and be deemed to have expressed a clear, settled and informed wish, free from coercion or pressure.

They must be expected to die within six months.

They must make two separate declarations, witnessed and signed (by them or a proxy on their behalf), about their wish to die.

Two independent doctors must be satisfied the person is eligible – and there must be at least seven days between the doctors’ assessments.

A High Court judge must hear from at least one of the doctors and can also question the dying person, or anyone else they consider appropriate. There must be a further 14 days after the judge has made the ruling (although this can be shortened to 48 hours in some circumstances).

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed his support for the bill last week, despite formerly opposing physician-assisted suicide. He claimed that he has “always sympathised with the passionate arguments put by those who support such moves in order to reduce suffering,” adding that “there is a strong case to be made for the latest attempt to square this circle.”

However, three other former prime ministers openly opposed the legislation. Liz Truss said she was “completely opposed” to the bill, saying: “It is wrong in principle: organs of the state like the NHS and the judicial system should be protecting lives, not ending them.”

Faith leaders in Britian – including Catholic, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Coptic Orthodox and Greek Orthodox leaders – issued a joint letter last week also opposing the bill:

In the UK, it is estimated that 2.7 million older people have been subjected to abuse; many of these may also be vulnerable to pressure to end their lives prematurely. Disability campaigners and those working with women in abusive relationships have also highlighted the danger of unintended consequences should the law be changed. The experience of jurisdictions which have introduced similar legislation, such as Oregon and Canada, demonstrate how tragic these unintended consequences can be. Promised safeguards have not always protected the vulnerable and marginalised.

Even when surrounded by loving family and friends, people towards the end of their life can still feel like a burden. This is especially the case while adult social care remains underfunded. In this environment, it is easy to see how a “right to die” could all too easily end in feeling you have a duty to die.

Physician-assisted suicide has slowly expanded in the West in recent years – including in Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal and the U.S. The Netherlands was the first to legalize euthanasia in 2002.

In the United States, 10 states have legalized physician-assisted suicide, along with the District of Columbia.

Given the increasing prevalence of euthanasia, well-informed Christians should know several arguments for opposing physician-assisted suicide. Here are three.

The Moral Argument

First, helping another person committed suicide is morally evil, even if done with good intentions.

The late Pope John Paul II spoke courageously against the legalization of euthanasia, unequivocally condemning the practice as a part of the “culture of death” in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae (the Gospel of Life):

To claim the right to abortion, infanticide and euthanasia, and to recognize that right in law, means to attribute to human freedom a perverse and evil significance: that of an absolute power over others and against others. This is the death of true freedom: “Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin” (Jn 8:34).

He added,

Even when not motivated by a selfish refusal to be burdened with the life of someone who is suffering, euthanasia must be called a false mercy, and indeed a disturbing “perversion” of mercy. True “compassion” leads to sharing another’s pain; it does not kill the person whose suffering we cannot bear.

Indeed, we all experience intense suffering and problems throughout our lives. The solution is never suicide, whether it be physician-assisted or not. The solution is for human beings to care for one other, support each other, and help alleviate suffering while providing palliative care when appropriate.

The Slippery Slope Argument

It is almost always the case that whenever physician-assisted suicide is legalized, the practice becomes more common and easier to access as time passes, never less.

For example, Canada first legalized euthanasia in 2016. Since then, nearly 50,000 people have chosen to kill themselves via physician-assisted suicide. The number of deaths by euthanasia increases every year.

Canadian law initially excluded eligibility for Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) for those struggling solely with mental illness. But Canadians who have been diagnosed solely with a mental illness will become eligible for MAID beginning March 17, 2027.

There have also been tragic cases in Canada of the MAID system being abused. One elderly man, Alan Nichols, was euthanized for hearing loss. His brother says he was “basically put to death.”

Likewise, the Dutch parliament is currently debating whether to allow individuals over the age of 75, who do not have any terminal illness, to be euthanatized if they feel their lives are “completed.”

Once the door to euthanasia is opened, it almost never closes. It only opens wider.

The door even opens to government pressure for patients to choose physician-assisted suicide to save on healthcare expenses, as one 2020 analysis estimated Canada could potentially save $66 million in healthcare costs using MAID.

The Redemption of Suffering

Our modern culture prioritizes eliminating suffering and discomfort almost above anything else. Comfort, ease and pleasure are the names of the game.

But Christianity affirms a different perspective. While we don’t enjoy suffering or seek it out, we also know that – in Christ – suffering can be given a redemptive aspect.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 1:24,

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (ESV).

Likewise, he writes in Romans 8:16-17,

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (ESV).

Christians know that suffering – while not good in and of itself – can be used by God for good. In fact, some suffering is often required for moral development and spiritual growth.

It was C.S. Lewis who wrote,

Try to exclude the possibility of suffering which the order of nature and the existence of free wills involve, and you find that you have excluded life itself.

So, when it comes to the argument that the elimination of someone’s suffering justifies physician-assisted suicide, the Christian answers, “No.”

We must have deep compassion for those suffering from terminal illness. But Christians also provides hope for those who are suffering, proclaiming their infinite value and worth as human beings made in God’s image. And we teach the value of patient endurance and suffering well. God can bring about a greater purpose through their suffering, if it’s united to the cross of Christ.

Like many changes in Western culture, Britain’s slow embrace of euthanasia is tragic. Christians must serve as a light shining in the darkness, proclaiming hope to all considering physician-assisted suicide.

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