Archbishop Tutu, 85, Records Video Saying He Wants Assisted-Dying Option
from PRNewswire:
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, 85, has recorded a video saying he wants the option of assisted dying “when the time comes … to pass” and endorsing bills worldwide to authorize this end-of-life option. The video with both English language and Spanish language subtitles and transcripts is posted at: www.compassionandchoices.org/desmond-tutu/.
Two years ago, the legendary Christian human rights leader authored an op-ed in The Guardian announcing the reversal of his lifelong opposition to assisted dying as an option for terminally ill adults to stop unbearable end-of-life suffering. But he was more ambiguous about whether he personally wanted the option: “I would say I wouldn’t mind,” wrote the Nobel Peace Prize laureate at the time.
The new video of Archbishop Tutu, the first black Archbishop of the Anglican Church of South Africa, was recorded in June for Dignity in Dying and Compassion & Choices. The two nonprofit organizations are the leading national advocates for medical aid in dying as an end-of-life option in the United Kingdom and United States, respectively.
“As a Christian, I believe in the sanctity of life and that death is a part of life. I hope that when the time comes, I am treated with compassion and allowed to pass on to the next phase of life’s journey in the manner of my choice,” says Archbishop Tutu, who turned 85 today and has prostate cancer, in the video.
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
