Church of Scotland reaffirms opposition to assisted suicide after “review”

The Church of Scotland has reaffirmed its position of opposing assisted suicide.

Last week The Rev Dr John Ferguson, Convener of the Church of Scotland Assisted Dying Working Group, which has been taking a look at the difficulty for 2 years, said that the Church’s official stance on the difficulty was “under review” and can be decided on the General Assembly, being held this week.

In an extended and emotional debate on the assembly, the Church voted to take care of its opposition to assisted dying.

Dr Ferguson, whose working group proposed a position that may recognise the “integrity of the range of views that exist within the Church on this matter”, conceded that his proposal being accepted “would have modified the historic position of the Church to oppose Assisted Dying”.

The issue is especially salient as at present the Scottish Parliament is considering a bill that may legalise assisted suicide in Scotland. Within the Church, even apparent supporters of a change of position criticised the proposed bill.

During the controversy on the General Assembly, John Williams, who has been on dialysis for seven years and has terminal cancer, said, “I find the [Church] report absolutely excellent and agree 100% with the conclusions it involves.”

However, he described the Scottish bill as “bad”, saying, “It is open to abuse on so many levels and puts medical staff in an not possible position.”

Williams called for improved palliative care in Scotland and said that throughout the Church more pastoral care training was needed, specifically in ministering to those with terminal illnesses.

Despite some support for changing the Church’s position on the difficulty, a motion by Rev Alistair Cook to acknowledge diverse views on the topic while upholding the Church’s traditional position, won the day.

Cook said, “The wisest advice I ever heard on this matter was from a retired Christian lawyer who said ‘you can’t allow the principle, once the principle is conceded the door is open and can’t be easily be shut and the safeguards cannot bear the load put upon them’.

“Moderator, we cannot allow the principle, I urge commissioners to support this counter-motion.”

Also supporting the Church’s traditional position was Rev Janet MacKellar who told the story of her husband’s supposedly incurable oesophageal cancer.

“He probably had around 4 months to live, he was offered chemotherapy as a possible avenue to increase his life however the prognosis was not good,” she said. 

“He undertook the chemotherapy and after two doses, the tumour was reduced by 50 per cent and after six doses, there was no evidence of cancer in anyway. The oncologist said this ‘happens sometimes and we have no idea why’.

“I told him why, because we had put our faith in God and he had come through for us. Gordon lived for an extra 12 years, completely satisfied and healthy years, and we welcomed one other six grandchildren into our family.”