Five reasons Christians oppose Assisted Dying

On 29th November, the House of Commons will debate whether to legalise Assisted Dying in the UK. Below I’ve linked some fuller treatments of this important issue by Christians with more expertise than me. I’ve also given a link with guidance on writing to our local MP to express your concern. If we all do this, it can make a difference.

Here I highlight five reasons that Christians have always opposed any kind of intervention to end human life.

Life: God is the author of life- It’s not our place to take it away

The very first words of the Bible are ‘In the beginning, God created…’ (Gen 1:1). He has given life, and it is simply not our place to take it away. Hence God’s words to Noah after the flood, “From each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being. Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind” (Gen. 9:5-6), and God’s clear prohibition in the 10 commandments “You shall not murder” (Ex. 20:13).

Dignity: Our dignity is rooted in being made and loved by God, not in our capacity

Because of human sin, we live in a fallen and painful world, where sickness, suffering and death are a sad reality. In such a world, the process of ageing and dying can seem horribly undignified, not least as our capacity steadily reduces. However, Christians believe that our dignity is not rooted in our capacity, but in God’s love for us. He has stepped into our painful world to redeem it. The gospel offers hope and peace to us in the most ‘undignifying’ situations and reminds us that we are deeply valued, not because of what we can do, but because we are loved by God. We are never a ‘burden’ to him. He delights in us, even as we are unable to ‘do’ anything:

The Lord your God is with you,

the Mighty Warrior who saves.

He will take great delight in you;

in his love he will no longer rebuke you,

but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

Freedom: True freedom is not found in radical autonomy but in loving relationship

Like Braveheart, the cry of our culture is ‘Freedom!’ This is also the cry of the Bible: “It is for freedom that Christ Jesus has set you free!” (Galatians 5:1). But these are two very different versions of freedom. In our culture, freedom is defined as ‘radical autonomy’- total self-sovereignty to define myself, be myself, and do what I want with myself. This is the mood music behind assisted dying: why shouldn’t those who are suffering and no longer want to live have the freedom to end their lives? But Jesus defines freedom not as radical autonomy (just a moment’s thought and you realise how problematic this definition of freedom is), but as freedom from the condemnation, guilt, and distorting power of sin, and restoration of the loving relationships we were created for- with God, and other people.

Weakness: God’s power is made perfect in weakness, as demonstrated at the cross

Christians have a fundamentally different view of weakness to the world around us. We worship a God who displayed his wisdom and power through the ‘foolishness’ and ‘weakness’ of the cross (1 Cor 1:18-25). He’s the God who says to the weak and the suffering “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Even in the agony of the cross, the glory of God’s power is displayed. The answer to extreme human weakness and suffering is not to end a life, but to seek God’s all-sufficient grace, remembering that we are people of the cross and that for those who trust in Christ, “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” 2 Cor. 4:17

Protection: God calls us to protect the vulnerable

The most vulnerable in society are most worthy of our love, honour and protection. The Christian revolution over the past 2000 years has led the Western world to this collective conviction. Without Jesus, it’s inconceivable that any society would make such a principle foundational. Assisted dying is often advocated for under the banner of compassion (another Christian virtue so universally accepted in the West that we’ve forgotten its Christian roots). However, true Biblical compassion is the self-sacrificial neighbour-love demonstrated by the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), who seeks to honour, care for and protect the most vulnerable. Where someone actively wants to end their own life, true compassion shows them how valuable they are, and how worthwhile their life continues to be, through sacrificial care, rather than assisted dying.

Digging Deeper…

There’s much more that could (and should) be said. There are some excellent longer treatments of the subject here:

One concrete action you can take is to write to our MP to express your concerns with the Bill and ask him to oppose it. CARE gives some guidance on that here. I’d be happy to chat more if you have any questions.