Assisted death discussion ‘will give chance to develop end-of-life care’

Assisted death discussion ‘will give chance to develop end-of-life care’

Sarnian States Members will take an in-principle vote on assisted dying in May.

After Guernsey’s upcoming discussion of the topic gained nationwide media attention last week, the Dean spoke out in opposition to the move.

‘I think this is the opportunity in the debate to think very seriously about the value we place on all human beings and what it means to live and die well.

‘We have an opportunity to develop and provide the best palliative care. We don’t know what the effects of this legislation would be,’ he said.

‘I could talk about what I believe profoundly about the gift of life, but I want to talk broadly as a human being and about the unintended consequences of the legislation.

‘Even if what I’m saying is not distinctly Christian, it is authentically Christian – it transcends any particular religion.

‘We have had the huge privilege of ministering to people who are dying. I know how serious it is. We are dealing with the most important marks of our humanity.

‘The problem is that human beings don’t exist in isolation. We have freedom to make choices but we don’t necessarily have unfettered freedom.

‘Sometimes our personal choices and freedoms have to be restrained out of a proper concern and respect for those who may be vulnerable,’ he said.

The Bishop of Portsmouth, Bishop Philip Egan, published a letter addressed to Canon Michael Hore, the Roman Catholic Dean of Guernsey, in which he called the campaign for assisted dying a ‘grim proposal’.

‘Modern drugs and modern methods mean that in today’s world, palliative care doctors and nurses can use their skills and knowledge to ensure that pain is properly managed at the end of life.

‘Indeed, as a Christian, I would go further and say that in union with Christ, it is even possible to find from Him all the strength, patience and energy we need to sustain our suffering – to “carry the cross” (Matthew 16: 24) – and to turn it to a positive good for others.

‘Assisting someone to die prematurely, or assisting someone to commit suicide, even when they earnestly request it, can never ever be a compassionate action. It is a grave sin.

‘We must not yield to the temptation to apply rapid or drastic solutions, moved by a false compassion or by criteria of efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

‘So I appeal to all people of goodwill in Guernsey to overturn this grim proposal coming before the State legislature, and at the same time to redouble the compassionate care of those who are frail and terminally ill. Let there be no death-clinics in Guernsey.

‘Assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with a doctor’s role as healer.’

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