The Church of England, with the exception of a high profile, now retired, Archbishop (and friend) and without doubt some of our Church members and clergy, has been resolutely against a change in the law.
Of course, this leaves those of us who don’t want PAS open to the criticism that we don’t care about those in great distress in the hour of death. As a former hospice chaplain, I refute this. In fact the Christian Church has a long and noble history of seeking to assist people to die well without killing them.
Palliative care options may be inconsistent across the country, but a huge amount of know how has been, and is being learnt about effective pain control. The Church’s position is not that ”˜pain is a noble thing.’ We need more palliative care provision rather than handing out the right in law to take life.