How do we befriend death: reflecting on assisted dying #unitarians

This was the Didymus Day lecture for 2016, on Saturday 2 July, and the address was given by Revd Canon Dr James Woodward, Principal of Sarum College, Salisbury.  We are grateful to the Montgomery Trust for making this lecture possible. www.montgomerytrust.org.uk

James spoke first about the composition of the parliamentary Commission on Assisted Dying; what was commissioned (the question to be answered), who was on the panel, how the Commission worked, and what it did.  He displayed the report that came out, which was a volume of many pages.  James then set out the argument against assisted dying, followed by the arguments in favour of assisted dying.  After that he was frank about his own views based on his experiences, and why it was that he had felt it necessary to dissent from the findings of the Commission, a matter which unfortunately overshadowed the media announcement of the completion of the Commission.

The arguments fall into these categories, and there are unresolved questions in each of them:

Arguments against assisted dying:
1.    The sanctity of life.
2.    Medical ethics.
3.    Protecting vulnerable groups.
4.    The slippery slope (or paradigm shift).

Arguments in favour of assisted dying:
1.    Personal autonomy.
2.    Compassion.
3.    Medical ethics.

The discussion was frank, varied and respectful.  A difficult topic, and many different views and questions were aired.  The issues and questions James left us with, to take away and think about, were these:

There is a need for us to work together to put our spiritual outlook on life to work in regard to this important matter.  In this we need to find space to talk about death.

• What is an ideal death?
• Can any of us ever have a pain-free existence?
• Are we worried about becoming a burden on others?
• What are most people afraid of when they die?
• What does "quality of life" mean?
• Does medicine strive to keep us alive for too long?
• What choices do we have?
• What are our fears of assisted dying?
• When suffering becomes unbearable do we have a duty to release the sufferer rather than prolong it?
• Can we befriend death and help others to do so?

We were also pointed to the websites
www.wellbeingindying.org.uk

www.commissiononassisteddying.co.uk