“We should not set a position on when is the right time to kill someone who is sick”: MPs debate assisted suicide
from SPUC:
A majority of the MPs who spoke in a debate on assisted suicide in Parliament yesterday, called for protecting the vulnerable against suicide, but SPUC’s Alithea Williams warns that the fight is far from over.
Yesterday, Christine Jardine, the Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West, moved the motion “That this House has considered the law on assisted dying.” The debate took place in Westminster Hall, which means the motion was neutrally worded and there was no vote. However, such debates are usually responded to by a Government minister, and provide an important opportunity to further a position.
The debate was unusually well attended, and a number of new MPs spoke. Six MPs spoke in favour of assisted suicide, while nine spoke against. Eight didn’t express a clear view or were undecided.
What they said
A number of pro-life MPs made powerful contributions in defence of the disabled and vulnerable. Ian Paisley, the DUP MP for North Antrim, pointed out that MPs walked under a portrait of Moses everyday, bearing the commandment “Thou shalt not kill”.
“We are debating at what point we shall kill,” he said. “The House debates it many times. Should we kill in the womb? Should we kill at the end of life? When should we do it? We have to take those tough, critical decisions, and sometimes the House gets it wrong. We should not get it wrong on this occasion.
“We should not set a position on when is the right time to kill someone who is sick,” Mr Paisley went on. “We should be asking the positive, strong question: how much palliative care and support can we give people at the greatest point of need? What question does the House face? It should be about what we do to give hope, not what we do to continue with the heartache. We parliamentarians should be prepared to offer hope to people, not to say, as others have said, “You’re now a burden. It’s time to shuffle off this mortal coil.” We should be giving hope to people.”
See also: The anti-Christian heart of assisted suicide, by Paul Huxley, Christian Concern:
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