INTRODUCTION

A few days ago Cyclefree wrote an article on the assisted dying bill. I promised I’d reply but when I came to write it my mind moved to points orthogonal to a simple point-counterpoint and my article took on a life of its own. Consequently I present it to you here, not in an attempt to provide answers but pose questions, which I hope you will consider.

RELIGION

We speak rarely of religion in these secular times, but I thought the religious connotations were obvious and the question of Hell arose. If you ask somebody to kill you, will you go to Hell? Will that person? Old-school Catholicism is very clear that suicide is a mortal sin that cannot be repented and thus straight to Hell, no messing. Some versions of Protestantism I think resolve it differently by saying that those that do are simply denied the grace of God and Heaven and their soul is extinguished. We will all die one day and this is an important point that should be resolved. I would have liked to hear a Christian priest address it. So question 1: does somebody who assists a suicide go to Hell?

THE ROLE OF THE STATE

In my transhumanism article I made reference to the Suicide Act, one of the first liberalisation-wave laws to sever the state from the body. People have argued the case for assisted dying pro and con, but I don’t know anybody who made the point that the assisted dying discussion should not be held in Parliament at all and that this is not something into which the State should intrude. I can think of strong arguments that it should intrude, but I would have liked to have somebody else make the case. So question 2: does the State have a role in this?

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

It is legal to take your own life, and if one is aware that one is terminally ill it is possible to kill yourself by various means not necessary to describe here. Given this, is it right to ask somebody else to do it? “I want to die but i cant do it, can you help?” is a Hell – that word again – of a bind to put somebody in. Surely the responsibility lies with the self? So question 3: is it moral to ask somebody else to kill you?

THE ROLE OF THE DOCTOR

The proposed bill require doctors’ opinions, which is a problem. Doctors are lovely people but ultimately you can always find one that will say yes if you throw them enough money, and this sets up a class difference, with the rich slipping away with the purest morphine and the the poor begging harassed and unsympathetic NHS doctors for relief from Hellish – that word again – pain. Recall my article on the history of gambling, where I pointed out that Britain resolves issues based on class not merit. Assisted suicide is a moral problem not a medical one, and you solve moral problems with judges not medics: hangmen aren’t doctors. So question 4: should doctors be required at all?

THE ROLE OF THE MP

I still believe, in the teeth of contrary evidence, that most MPs are good people that came into politics to help people and make their country better. But goodness of heart does not imply ability and I have to ask: do they have what it takes to deal with this calmly and dispassionately? Early signs are not hopeful. Will enough find the necessary thoughtfulness to treat with this matter with the gravity it deserves? Will they speak with tenderness, without passion? Passion is the eternal enemy of humility, which is frugal, is just, and is necessary on this matter if no other. Can they find within them the humility to deal with this, or are fora like Royal Commissions better placed to deal with this? So question 5: should MPs be the people to discuss this?

EDGE CASES AND MALEVOLENCE

There will always be edge cases, both pro and con. Hisashi Ouchi suffered an excruciating death from terminal radiation exposure and the doctors and nurses that kept him alive in his 83-day torture should have ended it earlier. Bernd Brandes wanted to be eaten and found somebody to butcher him: his death was voluntary, the man who killed and ate him was jailed, the circumstances were abhorrent. Aurelia Brouwers was not terminally ill but she underwent assisted dying because she found her psychiatric illness intolerable. And I don’t know what the Hell – that word again – to think about her. So question 6: can the legislation cope with edge cases and malevolence?

THE END

There is no conclusion, only questions and acknowledgement of the difficulty of answers. We all die and will all at the end will be faced with questions: did I live a good life? Was I a bad person? Will I go to Hell? How the MPs deal with this issue will speak to their character and I hope they will do so seriously, but the MPs aren’t writing this article, I am. Can I express my faith and my tenderness on this most serious of subjects?

So we come to the final question: on this matter, what should I do?

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