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Church Urges MSPs to Improve End of Life Care Rather Than Right to Die

Tuesday January 27

The Church of Scotland has urged MSPs to do more to improve palliative care for those approaching the end of their life, before considering legalising assisted suicide.

The Convener of the Church and Society Council, the Rev Sally Foster Fulton, represented the Church at the Scottish Parliament as the Health Committee heard submissions on the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill this morning. She said that life must be respected as 'fleeting, fragile and extraordinary'.

She told the committee of the Church’s opposition to the Bill, and her concerns about its potential impact on the 'vulnerable, marginalised and afraid coming to the end of their life'.

Mrs Foster Fulton said: “We cannot safeguard the most vulnerable from this legislation. What about those who are not well supported and desperately want to live out their lives with dignity. Who will speak for them and protect them? Once the genie is out of the bottle you can't get it back in.”

She added: “Palliative care in this country is patchy. If we are looking at assisted suicide as plan B, we should be looking at improving palliative care as plan A first and exhaust all options to make it as good as it can be before we do anything else.”

Throughout the morning session, the MSPs also heard from medical professionals and those involved in providing end of life care, as well as representatives of faith groups.


Comments

Elizabeth McLaughlin - Friday, January 30th, 2015

“Good! How very reassuring to read the Church of Scotland is strongly opposed to euthanasia, which is so contrary to the Bible's teaching. The proposed bill is yet another example of man trying to assert his power, and cutting God's cloth to suit himself. So much for Isaiah 55:8.
Much lamenting is made over the emptying of the churches. A great deal of that may be due to, fearing to offend non-Christians, no longer reciting the daily Lord's Prayer schools. A rather cowardly decision on the part of government; we've been cowardly too, in banishing 'Onward Christian soldiers' from the hymnal. Shame on us all. Seldom has there been more need to show that Cross. However many or few that prayer touched, not a child in class but sang 'Onward' with gusto. Now a generation or more has grown up not even knowing what Christianity is all about. Oh, sure, they know all about sectarianism, they need the church for baptisms, marriages, and deaths. The Church counts for a lot more than that.


Rev Dr John Cameron - Friday, February 20th, 2015

“"Lord, in thy mercy, grant us peace at the last.”

A dignified old age should include a dignified death.

In 2014 we lost Debbie Purdy and my dear friend Margo MacDonald but the struggle goes on to grant those dying in extremis the right to say, “Beam me up, Scotty.”

The fact is the present law is incoherent with little sympathy for the people dying in an intolerable suffering which cannot be relieved by palliative care.

Alternatives include slow death by starvation, premature flights to Zurich, or the help of loved ones who face prosecution.

It is a reform whose time has come which will bring this issue out of the back streets and make it just another end-of-life decision based on compassion, choice and safety. ”


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