England's MPs Reject Assisted Suicide

By a margin of 74% (330 to 118), England’s MPs rejected an assisted dying bill. This week’s vote reflects a wider margin of opposition than the last one in 1997, in spite of an aggressive, very noisy, and emotional push by euthanasia proponents. Fiona Bruce, MP for Congleton, is representative of the opponents of the bill, warning that the bill lacks safeguards for the vulnerable. “We are here to protect the most vulnerable in our society, not legislate to kill them. This bill is not merely flawed, it is legally and ethically totally unacceptable” (“Assisted Dying Bill,” BBC News, Sep. 11, 2015). MP Caroline Spelman rightly warned that “the right to die can so easily become the duty to die.” Dr. Philippa Whitford, breast cancer surgeon, observing that modern palliative care is sufficient for pain control, argued, “We should support letting people live every day of their lives till the end.” She urged the MPs to vote for “life and dignity, not death.” The British Medical Association opposes all forms of assisted dying.

(Friday Church News Notes, September 18, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

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