The ProLife Alliance defends the right to life from conception to natural death, and is therefore opposed to assisted suicide or euthanasia in any form whatsoever.
We are proud of the fact that the United Kingdom has some of the best palliative care specialists and end of life medicine in the world, with hospice care of the highest level.
It is extremely sad that Sir Edward Downes and his wife, when faced with some of the inevitable health problems which arise at the end of life, would choose to turn their backs on the support available in the United Kingdom and choose instead to deliberately end their lives at the ill-named Swiss clinic, Dignitas. Television programmes about this clinic have certainly not left viewers with an impression of dignity in the suicides they assist.
At the legislative level the United Kingdom is thankfully resisting all attempts to legalise assisted suicide. A just and caring society looks after all its citizens, particularly those most vulnerable at the end of life. The elderly and sick must not be seen as a burden or as better off dying as quickly as possible, but as cherished members of our society.
We must do everything possible to ensure that no-one dies in physical or mental pain, but can never accept that euthanasia or assisted suicide is the response of a truly just society.
July 18th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Well, let’s see how the writer of this feels when they are in their 80s, losing their hearing and sight as Sir Edward was and knowing that soon your spouse will be dying of cancer.
July 20th, 2009 at 6:08 am
How good and reassuring that the suicide bill was overturned by the Lords.
July 21st, 2009 at 12:18 pm
I`ll second that!
October 15th, 2009 at 12:14 am
Sorry alan, but I believe we are all creatures of a higher being. We are able to feel love and have compassion for others like ourself.Without compassion there would be no love. All the good samaritans and mother teresas of the did not simply say shoot them when they saw pain and suffering. They tried everything in their means to provide care, ease thieir suffering, and wait untill they felt all that can be done was done. We do live in a true and just society, by no means should we try to contaminate it with illogical or irrational thinking. Death under any circumstance should not be rationalized.