Life
All life has intrinsic value and dignity – regardless of its condition. We recognise how immensely difficult it is to suffer or to see a loved one enduring pain, but, as Christians, we are called to protect those who are vulnerable and assist people to live – not to commit suicide. CARE therefore strongly opposes a change to the law on assisted suicide in the UK, and we work to support truly compassionate approaches to care at the end of life being articulated in our parliaments and assemblies.
We want to see a society that truly upholds the dignity of every life and where laws protect those who are vulnerable – particularly those who would feel pressure to end their lives for fear of being a burden on others.
Together we can fight against attempts to change the law on assisted suicide, ensuring that vulnerable people are protected. We can advocate for excellent palliative care, so that those at the end of their lives have healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing suffering.
Discover ten things you should know about assisted suicide.
Find out moreWe should not forget that laws are more than just regulatory instruments. They also send powerful social messages. An assisted dying law sends the subliminal message, however unintended by legislators, that if we are terminally ill taking our own lives is something we should consider.
1. We need it - 'the compassion argument'. Supporters of assisted suicide believe that allowing people to ‘die with dignity’ is kinder than forcing them to continue their lives with suffering.
2. We want it - 'the autonomy argument'. Some believe that every patient has a right to choose when to die.
3. We can control it - 'the public policy argument'. Proponents believe that assisted suicide can be safely regulated by government legislation.
1. Alternative treatments are available, such as palliative care and hospices. We do not have to kill the patient to kill the symptoms. Nearly all pain can be relieved.
2.There is no ‘right’ to be killed and there are real dangers of ‘slippery slopes’. Opening the doors to voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide could lead to non-voluntary and involuntary euthanasia, by giving doctors the power to decide when a patient’s life is not worth living. In the Netherlands in 1990 around 1,000 patients were killed without their request.
3. We could never truly control it. Reports from the Netherlands, where euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are legal, reveal that doctors do not always report it.
4. The assumption that patients should have a right to die would impose on doctors a duty to kill, thus restricting the autonomy of the doctor. Also, a ‘right to die’ for some people might well become a ‘duty to die’ by others, particularly those who are vulnerable or dependent upon others.
“The experience of death is going to get more and more painful, contrary to what many people believe. The forthcoming euthanasia will make it more rather than less painful because it will put the emphasis on personal decision in a way which was blissfully alien to the whole problem of dying in former times. It will make death even more subjectively intolerable, for people will feel responsible for their own deaths and morally obligated to rid their relatives of their unwanted presence. Euthanasia will further intensify all the problems its advocates think it will solve.”
Here are a range of resources to help you dig deeper on the issue of assisted suicide.
Discover 10 things we think everyone should know about assisted suicide.
Read moreOne of the most powerful ways to respond to pressure for assisted suicide is to highlight stories where people have experienced high quality end of life care. Click below to read four astonishing and moving testimonies.
Read moreAt CARE, we believe it's better to care, not to kill. This resource will equip you to pray for the issue of assisted suicide.
Pray with usThe Meacher Assisted Dying Bill had its Second Reading in October 2021. Find out what the Bill is proposing and some of the main reasons to oppose the legislation.
DownloadIn this superb article, Prof John Wyatt, a former NHS Consultant with more than 30 years experience takes a long, hard look at the Assisted Dying Bill put forward by Baroness Meacher. John explores the impulses behind the push for assisted suicide and highlights the many flaws with the Bill.
Read moreOne of our most fundamental values as a society—what makes us different from communism or totalitarianism—is that we value individual lives. According to an Australian Liberal MP, speaking out against a proposed assisted suicide bill in Queensland, euthanasia laws will ‘turn that on their head.’ In this article, Jamie Gillies unpacks why this discussion holds important lessons for the UK.
Read MoreCARE supports quality palliative care for everyone. But what is it? Does it even work and why is it so important? James Mildred investigates.
Discover moreMembers of the CARE Team answer your questions about assisted suicide and euthanasia in a wide-ranging discussion.
WatchAs part of their Open Future initiative, The Economist asked proponents and opponents of assisted dying to write for them. CARE was a contributor.
Read moreWatch Tony's Story, the story of Nola and her husband Tony, who died after a two-year struggle with Alzheimer's. At one point in his last few months of life, Tony didn't feel he could go on any longer. .
WatchIn this episode of the CAREcast, James and Dr Gillian Wright discuss some of the common arguments in favour of assisted suicide and how we can effectively respond.
WatchThe author Dr Kathryn Mannix explains what death and dying really looks like and helpfully explains more about the power of palliative care.
listenListen to this episode of the CARECast, where CARE's James Mildred explains why he's opposed to euthanasia and assisted suicide.
ListenAt CARE we believe it's better to care, not to kill. We want to pray for people approaching the end of their lives and for medical professionals who care for them. This resource will help you pray against euthanasia and for hospices and quality palliative care.
Pray with usProfessor John Wyatt
The increasing public support for the legalisation of medical killing provides an urgent challenge to the medical and legal professions and to the Christian community as a whole. Are Christians capable of living out a practical and countercultural demonstration of the preciousness of human life expressed in human interdependence, personal commitment and burden-sharing?
Read the paperby CARE's James Mildred
In this article, James Mildred, CARE's Communications Manager, explains why he opposes a change in the law to assisted suicide.
read the articleCARE
In any campaign, it is always important to properly understand the arguments advanced by those you oppose.
read moreby Dr Peter Saunders
This booklet by Dr. Peter Saunders, former Chief Executive of the Christian Medical Fellowship, explores what the Bible has to say about euthanasia and assisted suicide:
downloadby Chris Buttenshaw
This booklet is written by Chris Buttenshaw, a member of CARE's Public Affairs team. It gives an in-depth Biblical discussion of suffering, life and death in the context of faith in a sovereign God who is supremely in control, whose love and attention does not waiver according to circumstances (Psalm 136) and whose ways are beyond our understanding (Isaiah 55:8-9; Job 36:26).
downloadby John Keown
This book argues against the legalisation of voluntary euthanasia and/or physician-assisted suicide on the ground that, even if they were ethically defensible in certain 'hard cases', neither could be effectively controlled by law. It maintains that the experience of legalisation in the Netherlands, Belgium and Oregon lends support to the two 'slippery slope' arguments against legalisation, the 'empirical' and the 'logical'.
buy the bookby John Wyatt
A brand new study resource addressing the issue of assisted suicide, which we hope will be useful for church leaders and groups, Bible colleges and individuals in opening up conversation on this matter and exploring the key issues of assisted suicide, human dignity, medical and legal concerns, palliative care and others in a Biblical context.
Find out moreNigel Cameron
As “aid-in-dying” and “physician-assisted suicide” offer candy-coated varieties of medical killing to British audiences, just across the North Sea lies the real deal: doctors killing patients in the same way that here in the UK vets kill animals.
read moreThe Greek doctor Hippocrates writes the Hippocratic Oath, used by doctors all over the world as an ethical pledge. The oath states, "I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked."
Under section 2 of the 1961 Suicide Act, encouraging or assisting another person’s suicide is illegal.
A Select Committee of the House of Lords was established to consider the ethical, legal and clinical implications of life-shortening actions. The report in 1994 rejected any proposal to: “cross the line which prohibits any intentional killing, a line which we think it essential to preserve.” The Report also rejected any change in the law on assisted suicide.
Following a consultation, the CPS publishes a policy for prosecutors which states that prosecution for assisting or encouraging a suicide will only be taken if it is deemed to be 'in the public interest.'
Independent MSP Margo MacDonald tabled Bills in 2010 and 2011 that would have legalised assisted suicide. Under the second Bill people born with disabilities who “lose the will to live” would have been eligible to end their lives. The first Bill was defeated by the Scottish Parliament and the second Bill was rejected at public consultation phase.
Lord Falconer introduced a Bill in the House of Lords seeking to legalise assisted suicide in England and Wales. Following the dissolution of Parliament, the Bill fell.
The MP Rob Marris based this Bill on the Falconer Bill. It was defeated in its Second Reading in 2015 following a lengthy debate. The Bill was defeated by 330 to 118.
UK Supreme Court ruled that doctors would be able to withdraw food and fluids from brain-damaged patients with persistent vegetative state (PVS) and minimally conscious state (MCS) without needing to apply to the Court of Protection.
Baroness Meacher is the chair of Dignity in Dying, formerly the Voluntary Euthanasia Society and she introduced her Assisted Dying Bill in the House of Lords on 26 May 2021. It aims to legalise assisted killing for patients with a terminal illness and 6 months or less to live. It came seventh in the private members' ballot which increases the likelihood of a second reading where all Peers have a chance to debate the legislation.
Find out moreCARE for Scotland responds by publishing a guide to help supporters respond to the new consultation on assisted suicide in Scotland.
Read moreDuring a long debate, CARE helped more than 60 Peers speak out against the Assisted Suicide Bill proposal. As is convention, the Bill passed without a vote and moved to Committee Stage.
Read moreBaroness Finlay secures government backing for her amendment to give adults in England the legal right to accessing specialist palliative care services.
Read moreA cynical assisted suicide amendment from Lord Forsyth is debated in the Lords but is defeated following some excellent speeches from the likes of Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.
Read moreExplore biblical views on end of life issues.
Find out moreThe shocking scale of euthanasia deaths in Canada has been laid bare in new figures, with concern they will grow even more as eligibility is extended to other groups of people.
Read articleYou matter because you are you, and you matter to the end of your life. We will do all we can not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die.
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Ask your MP where they stand on assisted suicide
Read our arguments for and against assisted suicide