UK MPs Right to Reject “Deeply Flawed” Assisted Suicide Bill.
Physician-assisted suicide is an affront to God, a violation of human dignity and fundamentally incompatible with the role of the doctor. So, it is with joy and great relief that the John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family welcomes the defeat of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in the House of Commons. MPs voted by 286 to 270, a swing of 39 votes from last year when an essentially identical Bill was debated.
Commenting on the outcome of the vote, Dr Thomas Ward, the President of the Academy, said:
“There are no circumstances in which it is legitimate to take the life of an innocent human being. Yet, even those who do not recognise the inviolability of human life must accept that, once introduced, so-called assisted dying poses a lethal threat to the most vulnerable in society.
“We need only look to the experience of nations where euthanasia and assisted suicide have been legalised. Evidence shows that it cannot be contained and that it gradually expands to take the lives of more and more people. The vulnerable feel pressurised to end their lives. Safeguards intended to protect these people come to be seen as unjust restrictions and are soon removed, leading to people who have not expressed a wish to die being euthanized.”
Dr Ward also pointed to research which shows that where assisted suicide has been legalised, its consequent social acceptability has led to an increase in suicide more generally. [1]
Although assisted suicide is presented as the only compassionate response to intolerable suffering, statistically the reasons most often cited by those requesting assisted suicide include loss of autonomy, being less able to engage in activities that make life enjoyable, loss of dignity, loss of control of bodily functions and feelings of being a burden.
Advocates of the Bill claimed that it was not a threat to the disabled, yet many disabled people fear being pressured to end their lives. This concern was backed up by the UK Government’s own assessment of the proposed bill and concluded that disabled people may be more susceptible to feeling as though they are a burden on those around them. It stated:
“Pressure is not necessarily felt or applied by other people – disabled people may feel subtle pressure due to attitudinal barriers or a lack of alternative appropriate services and support (for example, when accessing palliative care). This could also include structural pressures such as neglect, poverty, and difficult living conditions. Disabled people are also twice as likely (when compared to non-disabled people) to be victims of domestic abuse, which includes coercive behaviour.”
Dr Ward said: “Politicians of all parties, members of the medical profession, and all people of good will share a moral duty to help build a society in which the dignity of each person is recognised and protected. In Evangelium Vitae, Pope St. John Paul tells us that this task is the particular responsibility of civil leaders. Through the legislative measures they support, our elected representatives can either defend the most vulnerable or endanger their lives. The John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family warmly welcomes the defeat of this dangerous and deeply flawed Bill.”
END
Dr.Thomas Ward
President, The John Paul II Academy for Human Life and the Family
