Assisted dying ‘will devalue human life’
Church leaders brand law ‘ethical wilderness’
PLANS to allow assisted dying laws in Scotland are an ‘ethical wilderness’ that undermine the value of human life, religious groups claim.
Proposed Holyrood legislation would allow NHS patients to request prescriptions for a life-ending cocktail of drugs that induce a coma, shut down the lungs and stop the heart.
Supporters of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill insist that the option to choose death over treatment would only be available for the terminally ill – and would give patients more dignity in death.
But two leading members of Scotland’s clergy have expressed ‘very grave concerns’ about the proposed Bill. They urged politicians to reject the legislation because it would mean Scots had ‘lost trust in the inherent value of all human life’.
In a letter to all MSPs, Rev Andrew Downie, Moderator of the United Free Church of Scotland, and Rev Bob Akroyd, Moderator of the Free Church of Scotland, called for more investment in palliative care and hospices. The Moderators said: ‘We are writing, as representatives of two Scottish Protestant Christian denominations, to share our very grave concerns concerning the new proposal being considered in the Scottish parliament to legalise assisted suicide.
‘This is because it is a procedure which intentionally ends the life of a human being which is perceived to have become unworthy of life.’ They said the law would cross a ‘bright red moral line’, as ‘all lives, even if they do not reach a certain quality, do not lose their worth – and should not be ended’.
The faith leaders added: ‘Assisted suicide must be rejected because it would mean that Scottish society has lost its trust in the inherent value of all human life.
‘This position would eventually result in Scotland becoming an ethical wilderness.’
The proposed legislation was put forward last month by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur. Senior figures at Holyrood including First Minister Humza Yousaf, Tory leader Douglas Ross and Labour leader Anas Sarwar have all signalled they are set to vote against the Bill.
Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she is ‘conflicted’ about the legislation. The Catholic Bishops Council of Scotland, the Scottish Association of Mosques, Evangelical Alliance Scotland and the Christian Institute have all voiced opposition.
The Moderators called for more investment in palliative and hospice care as an alternative, adding: ‘This would enable the lives of patients, which are ending naturally, to be made as comfortable as possible without intentionally ending their lives.
‘Society will then continue to recognise these patients as having full worth and value while accepting them, unconditionally, for who they are in compassion and care.’
Last night Mr McArthur said: ‘I appreciate some are concerned about a slippery slope but my Bill is extremely clear about the specific and limited circumstances for which it will give terminally ill adults the choice they need.
‘I will continue to engage with charities, organisations and fellow MSPs to understand their perspectives on this important issue and hopefully allay any concerns.’
‘It would cross a bright red moral line’