“Thou Shalt Not Kill.” Suicide, Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Some Considerations (2)

Sister Elizabeth John of the Dolgellau Carmel concludes her study of the rise in support for assisted suicide  

Sir Kier Starmer, Dame Esther Rantzen. Photo Sky News

Status of Assisted Suicide

The status of medically assisted dying has changed dramatically in the last twenty-six years. Switzerland permitted it before 1997. As of October 2022, it is legal in ten countries and parts of the USA: Switzerland (since 1942, but mostly from the 1980s), the Netherlands and  Belgium (2002),  Luxembourg (2009), Colombia (2014), Canada (2016), Austria, New Zealand, and Spain (2021), Australia (2022), plus twenty-two states or districts in the US. In 2023, medically-assisted dying was legalised in Portugal, but assisted suicide and euthanasia remain illegal. It is still being debated in Germany, France and Scotland.

“Thou Shalt Not Kill.” Suicide, Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Some Considerations (1)

(In memory of David, Jeremy Stanley and Walter)

St Joseph's Hospice, Hackney, East London

In part one of a two-part essay Sister Elizabeth John of the Dolgellau Carmelite monastery examines some of the moral issues at stake around Kim Leadbeater's proposed Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill

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A Historical Study: The Moral Problem of ‘Assisted Dying’

This article is an exploration of some of the issues around suicide, euthanasia, and assisted suicide, based on an essay submitted in 2023 for the philosophy element of the Teresianum’s Online Certificate in Spiritual Theology.^[1] It is not intended as a comprehensive summary of arguments for or against assisted suicide.

Terminology

Assisted Suicide: An individual is provided with a fatal drug and has to be capable of administering it themselves.

PAD:  Physician or clinician-assisted death- involves a trained professional administering the drug for the patient.

Euthanasia: Encompasses both of the above but sometimes has subliminal echoes and references, including what we usually do with our dying pets.^[2]

Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID): The term, adopted in Canadian legislation, can include self or physician-administered situations and simply describes what it is.

Those in favour tend to use the term ‘Assisted Dying’, whereas those against refer to ‘Assisted Suicide’.

Assisted Suicide: a look at the issues

Recently the Catholic Union of Great Britain hosted a panel discussion on the upcoming parliamentary bill that seeks to legalise 'assisted dying' in England and Wales. The Evangelical Alliance has also been very active in presenting Christian moral arguments against the bill.  

Below are three links.