Former Anglican head backs assisted suicide
A “profoundly Christian and moral thing”, according to Lord Carey.
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, has appeared in a video made by the English assisted suicide lobby group Dignity in Dying. In it, he argues that it is possible to draft a law which will protect the vulnerable elderly from cruel and greedy relatives and that some patients will inevitably experience “excruciating pain”.
And he tells his fellow Christians that assisted suicide is a “profoundly Christian and moral thing” – even though he realises that some will be shocked by his break with the official Church of England policy.
From a theological point of view, Lord Carey seems to have crafted his own interpretation of the proper meaning of suffering for a Christian. “Some people have said on the issue of compassion that actually pain is a noble thing, to bear pain and to say that we are suffering with you is, in my view, a very poor argument indeed,” he says in the video. “There is nothing noble about excruciating pain and I think we need as a nation to give people the right to decide their own fate.
- How long can you put off seeing the doctor because of lockdowns? - December 3, 2021
- House of Lords debates assisted suicide—again - October 28, 2021
- Spanish government tries to restrict conscientious objection - October 28, 2021
More Stories
A lonely euthanasia death on Vancouver Island
In assisted dying, it would be unethical to carry out clinical trials. How could you design an experiment in which...
Does legalising assisted suicide really decrease non-assisted suicide?
Legalising assisted suicide and euthanasia increases the risk of suicide, according to recent research by the UK’s Anscombe Bioethics Centre....
An Australian suicide puts Dr Philip Nitschke back on the media stage
Dr Philip Nitschke, the veteran Australian activist for the right to suicide, is back in the news again. A feature...
The ‘dead donor rule’ takes another one on the chin
Another attack on the dead donor rule comes in this month’s Journal of Medical Ethics. Anthony P. Smith, a philosopher...
Netflix binges on serial killer nurse Charles Cullen
Netflix is going all in on serial killer Charles Cullen, a nurse who may have dispatched as many as 400...
Euthanasia makes clean sweep of Australian states
The Australian state of New South Wales legalised euthanasia and assisted suicide last week. Members of the Upper House supported...