The Church of Scotland has reaffirmed its position of opposing assisted suicide.
Last week The Rev Dr John Ferguson, Convener of the Church of Scotland Assisted Dying Working Group, which has been looking at the issue for two years, said that the Church’s official stance on the issue was “under review” and would be decided at the General Assembly, being held this week.
In a long and emotional debate at the assembly, the Church voted to maintain its opposition to assisted dying.
Dr Ferguson, whose working group proposed a position that would recognise the “integrity of the range of views that exist in the Church on this matter”, conceded that his proposal being accepted “would have changed the historic position of the Church to oppose Assisted Dying”.
The issue is particularly salient as at present the Scottish Parliament is considering a bill that would legalise assisted suicide in Scotland. Within the Church, even apparent supporters of a change of position criticised the proposed bill.
During the debate at the General Assembly, John Williams, who has been on dialysis for seven years and has terminal cancer, said, "I find the [Church] report absolutely excellent and agree 100% with the conclusions it comes to."
However, he described the Scottish bill as “bad”, saying, "It is open to abuse on so many levels and puts medical staff in an impossible position."
Williams called for improved palliative care in Scotland and said that within the Church more pastoral care training was needed, specifically in ministering to those with terminal illnesses.
Despite some support for changing the Church’s position on the issue, a motion by Rev Alistair Cook to acknowledge diverse views on the subject while upholding the Church’s traditional position, won the day.
Cook said, "The wisest advice I ever heard on this matter was from a retired Christian lawyer who said ‘you cannot allow the principle, once the principle is conceded the door is open and cannot be easily be shut and the safeguards cannot bear the weight put upon them'.
"Moderator, we cannot allow the principle, I urge commissioners to support this counter-motion."
Also supporting the Church’s traditional position was Rev Janet MacKellar who told the story of her husband's supposedly incurable oesophageal cancer.
"He probably had around four months to live, he was offered chemotherapy as a potential avenue to extend his life but the prognosis was not good," she said.
"He undertook the chemotherapy and after two doses, the tumour was reduced by 50 per cent and after six doses, there was no evidence of cancer whatsoever. The oncologist said this ‘happens sometimes and we do not know why'.
"I told him why, because we had put our faith in God and he had come through for us. Gordon lived for a further 12 years, happy and healthy years, and we welcomed another six grandchildren into our family."
