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.
What's the difference between assisted suicide and assisted dying? Is euthanasia different from assisted suicide? Find out more about the terms used in the assisted suicide debate.
exploreWe 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.
Is it always wrong to take innocent human life? Peter Singer, Princeton bioethicist debates Nigel M. de S. Cameron, Ph.D on this important topic.
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 moreby 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 articleby Dr Peter Saunders
This Live and Let Live booklet by Dr. Peter Saunders, 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 moreThis series of videos and interviews explores the issue of assisted suicide, with personal stories and expert opinion.
WatchCARE
In any campaign, it is always important to properly understand the arguments advanced by those you oppose.
read 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.
Explore biblical views on end of life issues.
Find out moreCalls for a change in the law to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland have been criticised by the campaign group Our Duty of Care.
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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Write to your MP and ask them to speak out against assisted suicide
Read our arguments for and against assisted suicide