Thou shalt not kill… a controversial subject!

[Caution advised!]

In the UK, the “Assisted Suicide Bill” has been a much debated and sharply dividing subject. It is suggested that it should only be made available to people with a terminal diagnosis of six months or less. Some think it shows mercy to people who are suffering, others think it is the start of a very slippery slope. Where does it stop? When does “mercy” stop being merciful and become murder?

To begin with, I want to make it clear, I’m no expert, nor am I medically trained. I wish to state my opinions and reservations, and really just think out loud. Please feel free to comment if you would like to, but keep it polite and in a genuine spirit of debate. 

Several years ago, I saw a YouTube video about assisted suicide, from Canada I think. The home-made film showed an elderly lady with her son. She was laid on the sofa and a medically trained woman administered syringe after syringe of a thick looking fluid into her veins. Almost immediately, the patient’s face took on a look of what I can only describe as frozen alarm, which I found very distressing! I couldn’t tell if she was in pain, afraid or regretting her choice – assuming that it was solely her choice. Who could be sure? I found the whole thing deeply unsettling. I’m not really sure why I watched it. Maybe morbid curiosity – it just appeared in my feed. I was hoping for a look of peace and serenity as this lady passed away, but I didn’t see it…

I know for myself, I could never do this, or assist another person to end their life in this way. The woman administering the fatal dose appeared not to have any expression of kindness or compassion. It very much seemed like “just another day at the office”…

I do believe in excellent palliative and end of life care, and in hospices which, in the UK, are not funded by the NHS but usually have to fundraise to keep going. In this day and age, there is surely no reason for dying people to suffer. Yet suffer they still do… My own mother-in-law died a painful and distressing death in hospital from sepsis, caused by a hospital acquired infection during the later covid lockdowns, following a hip replacement. She was in hospital for three months, and we discovered that the staff agreed four days before she died that there was nothing more they could do and that she was, in fact, dying and should have all treatments removed. 

They didn’t inform us, her family, for two more days and by the time we were called in she was in and out of consciousness, so I’m not even sure if she knew we were there. Her body was very swollen as her kidneys had shut down, yet they STILL had her on a drip, pushing fluids and IV antibiotics! Why?!! She didn’t get any proper end of life care until a few hours before she finally died. She deserved better. I know that she is with the Lord now and that is the ONLY thing that has comforted me. 

But even bad care causing suffering wasn’t a good enough reason for her to have been euthenased!

I am of the opinion that, if it was me, I would want to be kept comfortable and as pain free as possible, but I would not choose to end my life on Earth sooner, as it’s not up to me! My life is in the Lord’s hands. He can heal me or he can welcome me home, but he is sovereign and, in my opinion, that is how it should be. 

In the UK, the “Assisted Suicide Bill” was defeated but now another MP is trying to revive it so it can be forced through without a further reading in the House of Lords, and therefore become law. I thought the whole point of debates and votes in government is so that matters are settled democratically. Not that one, or a handful of people can say, “Well, I’m not happy with that outcome so we’re going to override procedures. “

I’ve heard some stories, from Canada in particular, where people who are homeless, depressed or disabled have been offered M.A.I.D. (medical assistance in dying) as a solution to their problems, because it seems they are no longer considered worth helping, spending money on or encouraging. It’s the thin end of the wedge. How soon will anyone who’s not healthy enough, not productive enough, (or perhaps not compliant enough…?) be pushed down that same road. Dystopian? Yep, it is that, but maybe not that far from being a future truth.

My personal belief is that “euthanasia” of humans, let’s call it what it is, does not honour the life that God has breathed into each one of us, and thus disrespects the Lord Himself. Jesus died for each and every person on the earth, though sadly very many people will never accept him as Saviour. Nonetheless, he IS Lord!

The book of Revelation talks about the Mark of the beast…

Revelation 13:15-17 NIV
The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

Revelation 20:4 NIV
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

I don’t know how far away the tribulation is, though there are many indications in the news every day, that end times bible prophecy is being fulfilled. My thinking is, that if people get used to lives being “painlessly” ended, “for their own good” and then for the good of society, it won’t be such a stretch when people are permanently removed from society because they are not conforming to the rules, and so causing trouble for those who are compliant… The pride that caused Satan to fall will fill them and cause them to agree that it’s all for the best that these trouble makers are removed.

The divide between light and darkness seems to be getting ever greater. Things that my generation could never have imagined are now coming to pass. I genuinely hope that Jesus will return soon, though my prayer, as always, is that all those whom I know, who don’t yet know HIM, will have a revelation of who Jesus is and come into a relationship with him, receiving the free gift of salvation through faith in his shed blood and atoning sacrifice alone!

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For information and accuracy, this is taken from an email I received this morning from https://righttolife.org.uk/

“The Bill published yesterday by Lauren Edwards is near-identical to Kim Leadbeater’s deeply flawed and unsafe Bill from the previous parliamentary session.

It retains dozens of serious flaws identified by Royal Colleges, professional bodies, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and disability, mental health and domestic abuse charities.

The Bill was published on the day MPs left Westminster for the summer recess, leaving them very little parliamentary time to examine it before its Second Reading on Friday 11 September.

By bringing back the Bill in near-identical form, its supporters are also keeping open the highly controversial possibility of using the Parliament Acts to force it into law if the House of Lords does not pass it again.”

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