“For You have delivered me from death.”
[Oct. 28. 2021] While the assisted suicide bill was being debated in the British Senate on the 17th of October, the medical and religious circles strongly protested against the legalisation of assisted suicide.
Some 1,700 doctors and nurses have said they will refuse to take part in assisted suicides if the practice is legalised, Christian Today (CT) UK reported on the 21st October.
Baroness Meacher’s Assisted Dying Bill is being debated by peers in the House of Lords on the 17th of October.
It proposes changing the law so that the terminally ill with less than six months to live can request assistance in the form of lethal drugs to end their lives.
But doctors and nurses have expressed “great concern” over the proposals as they warn that any change to the law will leave the vulnerable at risk of “abuse” and undermine the patient-doctor relationship.
In a joint letter sent to Health Secretary Sajid Javid ahead of the debate, they warn parliamentarians not to overlook the enormity of the proposed shift.
“As healthcare professionals, we have a legal duty of care for the safety and wellbeing of our patients. Therefore, we write with great concern regarding the introduction of a Bill to legalise assisted suicide.” And they added, “The prohibition of killing is present in almost all civilised societies due to the immeasurable worth of every human life.”
The letter says that it is “impossible” for any government to legislate against extension or expansion of the laws in the future, something critics fear will happen because of trends in countries where assisted suicide is already legal, like Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
“Canada has demonstrated that safeguards can be eroded in a matter of just five years,” they warn.
“The prohibition of killing is the safeguard. The current law is the protection of the vulnerable.”
“Any change would threaten society’s ability to safeguard vulnerable patients from abuse. It would undermine the trust the public places in physicians, and it would send a clear message to our frail, elderly and disabled patients about the value that society places on them as people.”, they appealed.
Dr. David Randall, a medical registrar from London, stated: “This letter emphasises just how much opposition there is within medicine to the legalisation of assisted suicide. The current law works well, protecting the vulnerable and allowing us to deliver to patients the kind of compassionate, individualised care to which we aspire.”
Their concerns were echoed by religious leaders in another significant intervention this week.
In a joint letter to peers, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Chief Rabbi, and the head of the Roman Catholic Church in England said that efforts to support the terminally ill should be focused on “assisted living” rather than “assisted dying”. (Source: Gospel Prayer Newspaper).
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. (Psalms 56:3,13)
God, may You stop the legalisation attempt of assisted suicide in the U.K. May the U.K. government pay attention to the voices of the medical team and religious leaders and learn from the countries where assisted suicide is already legal and have ethical issues. May they acknowledge the dangers behind the new bill’s implication and stop taking away the lives of the vulnerable. May the churches preach the gospel to those considering assisted suicide that may they trust You and overcome the fear of death and have eternal life.
Prayer 24·365
prayer@prayer24365.org
