Scottish Parliament considers assisted dying bill
August 14, 2024
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CWN Editor's Note: The Scottish Parliament is considering legislation that would allow persons 16 years of age or older to request assisted suicide if they have been diagnosed with a terminal illness.
Earlier this year, the Scottish bishops wrote in a pastoral letter that “we trust our doctors to be concerned for our life, health and wellbeing and we do not want to think of them being put into the position of raising the question with our loved ones of whether they would be better off dead. Killing is not medical treatment.”
“Assisted suicide, which allows us to kill our brothers and sisters, takes us down a dangerous spiral that always puts at risk the most vulnerable members of our society, including the elderly, the disabled, and those who struggle with mental health,” the bishops continued, adding:
Implicit in assisted suicide is the suggestion that an individual, in certain circumstances, can lose their value and worth. However, as stated in the Church’s recent declaration on Human Dignity, Dignitas Infinita, “even in its sorrowful state, human life carries a dignity that must always be upheld” and there are “no circumstances” under which human life could lose its dignity and “be put to an end.”The above note supplements, highlights, or corrects details in the original source (link above). About CWN news coverage.
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