RELIGIOUS FAITH AND ASSISTED DYING CAN GO HAND IN HAND

Dignity in Dying (DiD) is the campaign for an assisted dying law in the UK, for terminally ill (within the last 6 months of life), mentally competent adults, with strict safeguards.

One of the most frequently heard arguments against an Assisted Dying law is from religious leaders and groups, yet polling shows 80% of people with a religious faith support an assisted dying law.

There is no single ‘religious view’ on assisted dying. The Bible tells us “there is a time to be born and a time to die” (Ecclesiastes 3.2) but nowhere does it stipulate that God must choose that moment.

Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain said “DiD has long had an alliance of inter-faith religious leaders ready to push back against damaging claims made by religious opponents. Now, the time has come to expand this alliance to include members of the public whose commitment to changing the law on assisted dying holds strong not in spite of their faith, but because of it. The Religious Alliance for Dignity in Dying is now recruiting members from all faiths to allow them to come together on this vital issue and show society that faith is entirely compatible with supporting the choice of assisted dying”.

If you are a person of faith and wish to support DiD’s efforts to allow an assisted death for those who choose it, you can join the Religious Alliance for Dignity in Dying at www.dignityindying.org.uk/religiousalliance

Gerry Williams, Methodist Preacher “In my opinion it is not God’s will to prolong the physical suffering of any human being beyond what is bearable. Christians, as part of our faith, are not afraid of death, but many do live in fear of the manner in which they might die. It is the anticipated lengthy dying process and loss of personal dignity that is so often the barrier to a peaceful process of dying. Assisted dying allows people to choose the moment they wish to return to God – the law should allow this”.

Our God is a God of Mercy, why would he want to see people suffering unbearably in their final days? An assisted dying law would not mean there would be more deaths, it would mean there would be less suffering.

For more information about the DiD campaign please email me at westberks.group@dignityindying.org.uk

Sara Fenton
West Berks DiD Lead Campaigner