As a nation, the UK seems to have been on a downward trajectory of moral decline for at least the last half century but we have, without any shadow of doubt, hit a new low with MPs' decision to support assisted suicide. A Rubicon has been crossed, in fact, because up to now the primary duty of the state has been to protect the lives of its citizens. This vote, however, will give the state power to determine when and how its citizens will die. It will give the state authority to kill.
Does this matter? Advocates of assisted suicide would say no, because personal autonomy means that we all have the right to decide when and how we shall die, and that, in the avoidance of suffering, a 'caring' society must not just support, but help, that decision. It's the compassionate thing to do, they argue – and the word 'compassion' has been bandied around a lot here, along with the implication that those who disagree are heartless and uncaring bigots.
They are wrong. No one wishes to deny or downplay the reality of suffering, and there is nothing more heart-breaking than watching someone you love when they are in pain, but there is a world of difference between doing all you can to alleviate that pain, and designedly giving 'treatment' to bring about death. If we shift from an attitude of care to deliberate killing, we are inviting a chaos monster, hostile to God, to take up residence in our land. A monster that, given half a chance, will swallow up everything in its bloodied path. We will be proclaiming our allegiance to a spirit of death.
Despite what advocates of Kim Leadbeater's bill say about iron-clad safeguards, the reality is that if this bill becomes law there is every danger that state-sanctioned death – including euthanasia – will become the default position for treatment of all those deemed to have a low quality of life - a life judged by doctors to be 'not worth living', which will include not just the elderly, but the vulnerable of all ages, as well as the disabled and – on the evidence of other jurisdictions where assisted dying is already legal – all those regarded as 'incurable', including those suffering from Alzheimer's disease, mental illness, and depression.
In cash-strapped Britain, with the NHS teetering on collapse, there really is every danger that resources will be increasingly confined to those judged worth saving, so that even our current inadequate provision for palliative care may be reduced, rather than improved, and care in general deteriorates.
So how does this square with Christian belief? Well, the Bible teaches that life is the gift of God, which begins at conception, and that we are made in His image – because of which all, alike and equally, deserve respect and care.
What is being put forward in this dangerous bill not just denies, but rejects, that understanding. It makes of life, in fact, a commodity; something to be valued only while it remains wanted and of use. Which is fine perhaps – even sensible – if there really is no God. But the trouble is, there is ... and for all the glib denials of secularists, God remains intimately involved with His creation, and He cares. He cares about every man, woman or child that does, ever has, or ever will exist, and He cares about the Earth. In the battle for control with Satan which started in Eden and is still being fought, He will not allow evil to triumph.
'Compassion' that demands we be allowed to end the life of another, no matter how well intentioned, is misplaced. Our creation remains under the sovereignty of God, and every life is precious. Our untimely ending of life, whether our own or that of another, is to throw back the gift in the face of the giver. But it is more than that. While we live on this Earth, it is because God has a purpose for us. Whether that purpose has to do with our personal development and salvation, or that of others, is immaterial. It is intimately tied to the fate that awaits us beyond death. If we interrupt and disrupt that vital process, that is tied to our salvation, we put at risk the eternal destiny, not just of the one whose life we prematurely end, but of ourselves too.
Unfashionable though the assertion may be, assisted suicide and euthanasia are murder – the taking of innocent life. In the Bible, murder is labelled a crime, and explicitly forbidden. To choose to take life is, therefore, a victory for the devil, because it separates men and women from God. While we live, all of us have a God-given right of choice, but once someone wilfully goes down the path of death, there can literally be no coming back. It's that which is at stake here – the choice between our eternal salvation and damnation. Assisted suicide and euthanasia destroy hope.
The attempted imposition of a national death service is being hailed by advocates as the ultimate assertion of choice and control. 'I'm going to choose the time and manner of my death! I'm going to avoid pain!' But this attempt to retain 'control' till the bitter end – and the end envisaged here is 'bitter' – is at heart a defiant rejection of God, when actually we should be crying out to Him for help.
In the growing chaos and violence on our streets, in the disintegration of 'family', and in the staggering levels of mental illness now affecting 1 in 4 of the population, we are already seeing the fruits of our rebellion. For survival of our nation, it is vital that Christians now recover their voice and proclaim the salvation that comes only from God. It is vital we reject the cult of death.
