Popular support for euthanasia
Posted: 02 Nov 2006 @ 00:00
Sir, — When did archbishops take it on themselves to speak on behalf of
“those of all faiths and none” (
News, 10 September), and what gives them the idea that we all share their
views on the Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill?
On behalf of an organisation that represents non-religious humanists, I
should like to point out there is virtually unanimous support among humanists,
and indeed among the general public, for assisted dying in cases of unbearable
suffering: 82 per cent of the population support the Bill, according to a
recent poll.
Such support is by no means incompatible with respect for human life, but is
based on the belief that we should be allowed to judge when our own lives have
become unbearable, and to seek help in ending our own lives when that is the
case.
Neither this Bill nor the Mental Incapacity Bill, which the Churches also
appear to oppose, will force those with religious objections to make “living
wills” or to seek assistance to die, or to assist others to die. On that basis,
religious leaders should stop trying to prevent the rest of us from making
responsible decisions about our own lives and deaths.
HANNE STINSON
Executive Director
British Humanist Association
1 Gower Street
London WC1E 6HD