One accessory I must get for my car is a lead to plug into the radio so that I can play mp3s through it and listen to talks on my way round the M25 and resist the temptation to listen to the news on Radio 4. On the way back from Parkminster after Vespers, this evening's 5 o'clock news was particularly nauseating as it was announced in tones rather like announcing the freeing of the Birmingham Six, that Debbie Purdy has won her appeal to the Law Lords.
They found that according to Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, a person has the right to choose how they die, because that is a part of their private life which must be respected. They have ordered the Director of Public Prosecutions to set out a policy statement which will make it clear to the public under what circumstances anyone will be prosecuted for assisting another person to commit suicide. Since there have been over 115 cases of people committing suicide at the Swiss Dignitas clinic and nobody has yet been prosecuted for assisting them, it is a fair bet that the policy will make it clear that no prosecution will be undertaken in the case of someone terminally ill or severely disabled.
Although much is made of the claim that the Law Lords do not have the power to change the law, this is, like the Tony Bland case, a significant change in practice, introduced under the guise of a legal judgement. Lord Falconer, who has campaigned for assisted suicide, called today's judgement a "very significant victory."
John Smeaton has a post about this decision, and has previously written on the case.
Parliament has quite rightly resisted the legalisation of assisted suicide and this judgement effectively skirts round the democratic process. I presume we can now look forward to assisted suicide clinics in our own country in the reasonably near future. Since the Mental Capacity Act is now in place, it is only a matter of time before another hard case is brought forward to justify the non-voluntary euthanasia of the mentally incapacitated according to what their relatives or some appointed advocate decides is in their "best interests". In addition, those who are capable of making a decision will feel under further pressure not to "be a burden" on their family or society once suicide is seen as an acceptable option.
6 comments:
'a person has the right to choose how she died'. Yes they can decide whether to die in hospital, at home or on a beach. What they do not have the right to do is to decide if to or how to kill themselves.
how do you get this apalling woman and her croneys and the bir.six on the same post,the six are only guilty of being irish and of course being Cathloic...........please explin thankyou
If you have a cassette player in the car, you can have my adaptor. Have had it for two years and have used it only once - won't ever use it! It works well, but I can't be bothered with downloading stuff and would rather listen to Radio 3 in the car anyway. Haven't used the ipod either. There are probably more sophisticated adaptors around now, but I'll put mine in the post if you want. It has a cassette at one end, which you stick into the player, and a kind of plug at the other to attach to the ipody thing.
When is assisted suicide not murder?
My mother had late onset MS and whilst it was very distressing both for her and my father and the family to see this wicked disease take hold and leave somebody who had always been there for us and, as a nurse, had cared for so many people left unable to do anything for herself neither Mum nor any of the family would have wanted to be the ones to decide when her life would end. We discussed issues of whether Mum would wish to be resuscitated or treated with antibiotics if she deeveloped a chest infection in the last stages of her life and advised her doctor and those caring for her of Mum's wishes. I think that is the important thing - our faith enabled us to discuss death openly because we knew that whilst hard for those left behind death is not the end. After over 40 years of marriage Mum and having brought my sister and myself up in the Catholic faith Mum became a Catholic in the last year of her life. This enabled my father to continue to care for her even after her condition necessiated her being cared for in a nursing home - he was able to take the Blessed Sacrament to her each Sunday - what greater sign of God's love could we as a family have asked for? The campaigns for "a right to die" do not look at the gift of life. I fear that the House of Lords judgment may be a step too far and therefore feel we should pray that the Holy Spirit guides the DDP in the preparation of the guidelines so that the most vulnerable in our society have their "right to life" protected. Afterall Article 2 of the Human Rights Act is an absolute right where as Article 8 is but a qualified right and so can be inteferred with.
Delia - no cassette player.
tpr - Birmingham 6 release was a good thing. The BBC was speaking of this judgement as if it were a good thing. That was the point I was making.
You know Fr, I have been tempted to do likewise with my radio and did download some EWTN talks and series. They were wonderfully uplifting and boy did I learn some nuggets of the Faith!! A good thing I know.
However in hindsight I am now beginning to think that folk who are serious about the faith need to listen to the radio especially in moments like you describe above as these are moments where the Heart of Christ is in need of consolation.....
Let us continue to listen and use these moments of sadness to console Him who is so much offended. Let us use these moments to share in His sorrow...
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