Anyone who has sat at the bedside of a loved one who is dying – and that is an experience most of us will have gone through – will understand how precious life is.
Whether death is a destination in itself or a gateway to another form of existence is a debate which has been raging since man first walked on earth.
The conundrum has kept philosophers and theologians in a job. Their theories may be challenged; but their dignity remains intact because no-one can prove them right or wrong.
Socrates and Plato – sadly missing these days from the curriculum – believed death was a portal to another, better world; Epicurus said death was the end and that fear of it was futile, so we should just get on with living. His fellow stoic Marcus Aurelius built on that: “It is not death man should fear, but rather he should fear never beginning his life.”
Ever down-in-the-mouth, Jean-Paul Sartre thought death was merely a mirror image of our meaningless existence. “You are nothing other than your life.”
You might expect a bit more certainty with Christian theologians. But even devout Christians, whose belief is defined by death and resurrection, have to cover their uncertainty with the word ‘faith’. On one level faith is a statement of confidence in their beliefs; but on another, an acceptance that even they don’t really know.
For centuries, Catholic thinking was determined by Thomas Aquinas who insisted “life is God’s gift to man, and is subject to his power”. That assertion fuelled Paul VI’s unexpected ban on contraception, long overdue reversal; it drives the actions of the pro-life movement; and it underscores Church opposition to assisted dying.
Aquinas said: “It belongs to God alone to pronounce sentence of death and life.” And that is a view shared by other Christian denominations.
But the Churches no longer have a monopoly over morality. Pope Paul inadvertently taught Catholics they could defy the Church and would not endure fire and brimstone.
Many in the pro-life movement show scant regard for the lives of the women they taunt outside medical establishments. In the US they tend to support the death penalty and gun laws which saw the deaths of more than 40,000 people in 2023.
Opposition to assisted dying is equally entrenched, and many who do not believe in God share concerns that old people might be coerced into taking their own lives. But there has been a shift in public opinion. Assisted dying is already available in many countries – most notably Switzerland, home of Dignitas, but also New Zealand, Australia, Canada and three US states.
In Edinburgh, an assisted dying bill is currently before parliament. It has already attracted cross-party support from some 30 MSPs. The bill needs over 60 votes.
This is the third time a bill has come before the parliament. In the past MSPs have stuck with the status quo. But the political mood is becoming more aligned with public support. The Liberal Democrat behind the bill, Liam McArthur, says he is convinced it will be passed. Keir Starmer is promising a similar bill in England and Wales if elected.
I don’t see it happening any time soon in Northern Ireland, where politicians are often far behind the electorate on social issues. But it is a debate worth having.
In too many cases our loved ones are let down by the system at the moment of their greatest need. I still feel profound guilt that I could not do more for my mother who had an unnecessarily laboured death from a hospital-acquired infection.
As things stand, our pets are often treated with greater dignity at the end of life than their owners
This law would not have helped her because of the checks and balances and the need to self-administer the necessary drugs.
My preference, if God is reading this column, is to go suddenly. (Great for me, not for the family). But if I were in a situation where I had a terminal illness, I would like the option to go at a time of my choosing – not at the point where medical science was unable or incapable of easing my pain.
I know many will think otherwise. And that is their right. But as things stand, our pets are often treated with greater dignity at the end of life than their owners. And that cannot be right.