Euthanasia And Assisted Suicide Advance Globally

Following advances made by the euthanasia agenda in the United Kingdom, Ireland is now slated to consider legalizing "assisted dying," despite the concerns raised by Christians.

Earlier this year, a majority of the Dáil (Ireland's lower chamber of parliament) voted to approve a committee report recommending legalizing "assisted dying." While any change to Ireland's law would need to be passed by both chambers of the Oireachtas (Ireland's parliament), some legislators have already introduced bills to legalize the practice. 

"What is being suggested in this report is that in certain limited, certain circumstances, that you could assist somebody into the journey of death and that there would not be any legal penalty for it," said parliamentarian Michael Healy-Rae. He added, "It is a very serious move."

In comments to The Washington Stand, Irish Freedom Party Founder and President Hermann Kelly said, "Once you accept the principle of destroying innocent human life in abortion, the barbarism expands in practice to include those who are old and infirm. Euthanasia -- or granny-killing -- is the cry of nihilistic despair." He continued, "Then after killing the old, the free-for-all is expanded to the mentally ill, the physically sick, then ultimately the competent and completely healthy in the prime of life." Kelly added, "What the West needs is a culture of life, not a culture of death."

Evangelical Alliance Ireland (EAI) has already criticized the move to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. In a statement published last week, EAI wrote that "human life is intrinsically precious" and "a civilised society must prioritise the preservation of life and strive to improve quality of life. We believe that when a society diminishes the value of life, or infers that some lives are not worth living, then that is detrimental to the greater good." 

EAI also noted that it is often Christian pastors, ministers, and faith leaders who "work extensively among those who are suffering" and "pick up the pieces when families are left devastated by the suicide of a loved one," giving Christian leaders a unique insight into the issue.

EAI Executive Director Nick Park further explained, "Following the U.K. Parliament's vote to legislate for assisted suicide, Evangelical Alliance is concerned that a similar battle could now lie ahead in the Irish Parliament." Observing that Ireland already has a relatively high suicide rate, he continued, "We believe it would be counter-productive to legislate in a way that suggests some lives are not worth living. Life is a precious gift from God and should be treated as such under law."

EAI's statement further noted that the country's "suicide problem will only be compounded by legitimising suicide in certain circumstances. We recognise that such legislation would initially be limited to strict conditions, but it would be foolish to pretend that it would not be followed shortly by demands to expand the circumstances under which assisted dying may be carried out."

Ireland's Catholic bishops also voiced opposition to any legislation condoning euthanasia and assisted suicide. "Assisted suicide, far from being an expression of autonomy, is a failure of care. By legislating for assisted suicide or euthanasia, the State would contribute to undermining the confidence of people who are terminally ill, who want to be cared for," the Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference (ICBC) said in a statement.

The bishops called on elected legislators to "uphold human life at all its stages, and to prioritise the provision of palliative care for people living with chronic and terminal illness." The bishops added, "In our culture, we rightly hold doctors and nurses in high esteem because they are presumed always to be at the service of life. ... We call on Catholics to stand firmly in support of nurses and doctors who stand for life. One day it may be your life."

Late last month, the U.K. took a major step towards legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide. The House of Commons (Britain's lower chamber of parliament) voted 330 to 275 to legalize assisted suicide, following through on a pledge made by incumbent prime minister and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer prior to elections earlier this year. Once again, religious leaders sounded the alarm over the dangers posed by assisted suicide. 

Catholic Cardinal Vincent Nichols of the Archdiocese of Westminster, Anglican Bishop of London Sarah Mullally, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, and Imam Qari Asim issued a joint letter warning that assisted suicide undermines human dignity and that even the most well-intentioned safeguards will not halt "abuse or coercion" of legalized assisted suicide.

In fact, Dutch bioethicist and academic Theo Boer warned Ireland's government that it is "impossible" to enforce safeguards placed around legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide, making the practice ripe for abuse. After a decade of reviewing and investigating euthanasia cases in the Netherlands, Boer said, "Once you have a law ... it is absolutely impossible to put a police officer in every hospital room or in every bedroom ... and look for some silent pressure."

He added, "That is impossible, because that will infringe very much on the privacy of their patient-doctor relationship, so there is no solution." Boer warned that those suffering from painful or terminal conditions will be "pressured" to end their lives, seeing themselves as burdens to family and friends. He even recounted cases where he and his colleagues suspected that signatures had been forged on euthanasia paperwork.

France is also debating assisted suicide legislation, with legislators set to vote early next year. The Netherlands famously legalized euthanasia in 2002. The Dutch government's stringent guidelines surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide have subsequently been eroded, with children under the age of 12 now being allowed to request an end to their lives, provided that they suffer "unbearably and without hope." Euthanasia and assisted suicide are also legal in Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, and Portugal, and assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide were legalized in Canada in 2016 and expanded in 2021, with the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program now accounting for nearly 5% of all deaths in Canada. MAID and its expansion have been criticized extensively, with many saying that the government treats euthanasia as a means of saving money and "euthanizing its poor."

One man suffering with a brain disease reported that an Ontario hospital offered him only two options: euthanasia or leaving the hospital. When a Canadian military servicemember sought treatment for PTSD and suicidal thoughts, Canada's Veterans Affairs office immediately recommended euthanasia. 

Veterans Affairs also suggested euthanasia to a wheelchair-bound woman who was seeking funding for a wheelchair lift or ramp at her home. In one case, a young man institutionalized for attempted suicide successfully applied for Canada's euthanasia program. In 2020, the Canadian Parliamentary Budget Officer reported that the MAID program and its 2021 expansion are expected to save the government an annual total of nearly $150 million.

According to a 2024 Gallup poll, over 70% of Americans support legalizing some form of euthanasia allowing a doctor "to end a patient's life by some painless means if the patient and his or her family request it." Since 1973, a majority of Americans have expressed support for euthanasia, although support for assisted suicide has varied more widely.

Originally published at The Washington Stand