At the end of November, after five hours of debate, MPs in the U.K. voted 330 to 275 in favor of a bill to legalize medically-assisted suicide. Civil and religious leaders warned that the "right to die" will easily become for the vulnerable the "obligation to die." Bishop Christopher Cocksworth unpacks the conversation and outlines a principled commitment to life.
Bishop Stephen Andrews asks, how will sanctioned suicide affect one’s family and friends? What are the consequences for the community of which a suffering person is a part? Every human being is caught up in a web of interdependence.
Archbishop Justin Welby: “There will be people who look at that and say the church is totally out of touch … but we don’t do things on the basis of opinion polls.”
The root theological problem is that “aid in dying” misconceives our life as something we own. But in fact my life is not my possession. My life is a gift; I am a steward of that gift, not an owner; and I am responsible for my stewardship.