Friday, September 25, 2009

Euthanasia - C of E Statement on new Guidelines

There's been an official response from the CofE to the guidelines on prosecution for those who help with assisted suicide earlier this week. To my mind the guidelines did very little to make things clearer, and left several grey areas. There was almost a tacit acceptance of euthanasia in some of the provision, despite the fact that it remains illegal. Here's the CofE statement:

"The Church of England has consistently argued - and Parliament has consistently voted - against any change in the law governing assisted suicide, even when this is motivated by compassion. Guidance from the DPP about the application of the present law to particular circumstances has the potential to provide greater clarity and is in principle to be welcomed, so long as there can be confidence that it will not in practice lead to an erosion of respect for the present law. There are serious moral, ethical and practical issues to consider - for example in relation to concepts such as 'encouragement' and the nature of 'informed decision making'. The Church of England is therefore reserving its position on the detail of the draft guidance at this stage. Its formal submission will be made public in due course."

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