Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street. For the second time in less than a year, the British Parliament has voted down a bill that would have legalized euthanasia in England and Wales by an uncomfortably close vote of 286 to 270. The House of Commons rejected the appeal by Labour MP Lauren Edwards to renew an earlier proposal that was put forward by MP Kim Leadbetter. Despite another defeat, these supporters of death, however, are unlikely to give up anytime soon.
In fact, after the recent vote, Edwards said, and I quote: "Assisted dying will come in this country as it's already doing all across the world, but not soon enough." Parliament has dropped the ball today. It will be picked up again, as it must be, because the law, as it stands, is simply too cruel and too unjust to be allowed to stand. And then, a few days later, Ledbetter said this: "The vote on September the 11th will not be the end of this conversation. We owe it to the individuals and families at the heart of this debate to keep working toward a compassionate, safe, and workable approach to choice at the end of life." We have a duty not to give up, and a responsibility to all those who were depending on Parliament to do the right thing, and I take that very seriously. End quote.
Now, of course, any time a politician loses a vote, they'll claim to just be getting started. But this is not just another political play. Supporters of euthanasia are true believers in the idea that dignity can only be found in full autonomy. Thus, they're convinced they're the good guys by allowing people to choose to kill themselves on the side of human dignity, and that this cause is a just one. They see themselves as champions of compassion.
They see their opponents as cruel and un. Caring, they think they're honoring the ill, the depressed, and the elderly by helping them to die on their own terms. And their cause continues to be successful in many places around the world, especially in Canada and even here in the U.S. And the cases continue to be more and more shocking. Late last year, a two-year-old in the Netherlands was euthanized.
The child wasn't dying or even sick; he was disabled, and that was enough to justify taking his life. Then in July, an 83-year-old Canadian woman was put to death against her expressed wishes and her Christian convictions.
Now, all this means that those who just as truly believe in the inherent value of all human life, at whatever stage of life or medical condition, will have to fight this evil, and that requires that we all cultivate a coherent understanding of human dignity within the next generation—a bigger challenge than many of us think, because it is so. Countercultural. The underlying principle beneath so many of today's moral issues, from abortion to trans ideology to even seemingly mundane things like gambling and drug use, is this assumption that our dignity lies in our autonomy. In this view, everyone has the right to do whatever he or she wants, regardless of cost, regardless of duty to anyone else. And that bad idea has to be countered at the worldview level with a bigger and better version of what it means to be human.
Also, to win the fight for life in our age, we're going to have to get political.
Now, to be clear, it is the mark of a nation in trouble when life and death issues are left up to a vote. But that's where we are. Given how quickly things have escalated in Canada, we have a political opportunity right now to clarify what's at stake and to force our elected leaders to clarify where they stand on this issue. And most importantly, we cannot remain silent about those who are vulnerable near the end of their lives. The very fact that we care about our vulnerable friends, family members, and neighbors in the way that we do will sound strange to those who are catechized to follow their hearts and live for the moment.
But we have a vision of life too, and it's a better option than what they have been sold. Like those who are on the other side, this has to be a hill that we are willing to die on too. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with Breakpoint. Today's Breakpoint was co-authored by Dr. Timothy Paget.
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