Church of Scotland to re-examine position on Assisted Suicide
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland says it will not reaffirm its opposition to Assisted Suicide.
The Assembly voted in favour of giving the Church’s position further consideration after receiving an invitation by the Faith Impact Forum to the General Assembly to reaffirm the Church’s opposition to Assisted Suicide.
The majority of Commissioners backed a countermotion, after debate revealed the wide range of views on the issue.
The Faith Impact Forum and Theological Forum, amongst others, have been instructed to explore the varying theological perspectives and report back to a future General Assembly.
The countermotion was brought forward by Rev Jonathan Fleming after a similar motion was tabled by Rev Tara Granados.
Rev Fleming stated:
"I am grateful to Tara for raising this very emotive and challenging issue and to the General Assembly for agreeing to an exploration of the spectrum of views and opinions to take place and to report to a future General Assembly. "Deeply moved by the stories of those who spoke at the Assembly, I felt compelled to bring a counter motion that allowed a window of space and grace to be created and for this to be discussed sensitively and thoroughly."
Rev Karen Hendry, convener of the Faith Impact Forum, commented:
"This has opened up the dialogue, it is a very real and emotive issue for people. "Everyone has experience of a loved one dying at some point and this is something that is important to all of us – what does it mean to have a good death? This is an opportunity to take some time and reflect on what that means to us and how we develop our thinking and faith alongside that."
At CARE, while we wholeheartedly want to alleviate suffering for those who are in pain, we advocate that this is best done through palliative care.
We are also mindful of what has happened when assisted suicide legislation has been introduced elsewhere in the world: Canada is currently attracting much attention, having only introduced Assisted Suicide in 2016, for having expanded its legislation to people with non-terminal illnesses.
The last the time Assisted Suicide was debated at Westminster in the House of Lords, the Archbishop of Canterbury opposed the bill, saying:
"We know that the sad truth is that not all people are perfect, not all families are happy, not everyone is kind and compassionate. No amount of safeguards can perfect the human heart, no amount of regulation can make a relative kinder or a doctor infallible. No amount of reassurance can make a vulnerable or disabled person feel equally safe, equally valued, if the law is changed in this way."
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