While few modern proponents of doctor-assisted death would argue that sick people should \u201cmake way\u201d when their lives become a draw on others\u2019 resources, they don\u2019t appear to believe this\u2014inevitable\u2014outcome should prevent the practice from being legalized. This troubling attitude goes against the U.K.\u2019s historically Christian approach to dying people, including the belief that every person has intrinsic value, and every life ought to be equally cherished and protected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Every single one of us has been or will be a \u201cburden\u201d on others. When we are young, we depend upon the care and provision of our parents. When we grow ill, or elderly, we require support from our family and friends. This is not a bad thing; to be human is to be dependent. When it comes to helping those with terminal illness, properly resourced palliative care is highly effective at mitigating suffering and ensures that every patient hears a loving message: \u201cIt\u2019s good that you\u2019re alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
U.K. politicians must ask themselves what kind of society they want to create: One where an individualistic \u201cright to die\u201d sees vulnerable and marginalized Britons confronted with the option of suicide and pressured to pursue it; or a society where suicide is never viewed as a fitting response to suffering, where every citizen is recognized to have intrinsic and equal value, safeguarded from harm, and offered compassionate, life-affirming support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the Canadian ethicist Ewan Goligher noted: \u201cA nation\u2019s laws are a teacher.\u201d Legalizing assisted suicide teaches society to doubt human value and to see it as merely extrinsic and conditional. Prohibiting it reflects the true depth of human dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p> It\u2019s Good That You\u2019re Alive https:\/\/t.co\/n78pfTOVXG<\/a> \u201cAs the Canadian ethicist Ewan Goligher noted: \u2018A nation\u2019s laws are a teacher.\u2019 Legalizing assisted suicide teaches society to doubt human value and to see it as merely extrinsic and conditional\u201d<\/p>— David Mulroney (@David_Mulroney) January 17, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote>