The House of Commons have now voted to legalise assisted dying. The very fact that was a free vote indicates the complex moral issues around this issue. Earlier this week, in a Thought for the Day, the Rev. Sam Wells gave a very balanced account of the different Christian perspectives around the issue; he presented arguments for both sides. Perhaps that is why I personally find it hard to come to a decision; in my ministry I have seen people suffer terrible, intractable pain at the end of their lives, but I also worry about the practicalities of what is being proposed; safeguards that seem to me to be very difficult to make work, people making decisions based on the lottery of how well end-of-life care works in different regions. And I have heard what I find are repugnant arguments based on the best use of resources. So, sitting on my fence, my only contribution is to give thanks that this debate has taken place on the eve of Advent. Advent is the time when the Church looks forward to the final coming of the Kingdom of God. In it, we talk a lot about hope. We have hope because, no matter what knots we tie ourselves up in, no matter what decisions we make, wise or foolish, God has the final word; love will always find a way to win.
Rev David Poyner