British House of Lords Says NO to Assisted Suicide
It is always a joy to be able to pass on some positive news on the Pro-Life front. Kudos to Jane Susan Campbell, Baroness Campbell of Surbiton, DBE (Surbiton in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames) for her willingness to speak up. The Baroness was born with Spinal muscular atrophy. She shows us that what so many today would define as someone disposable is anything but. (Photoof the Baroness from UK Telegraph by DAVID ROSE)
Monday, July 13, 2009
By Joanna Bogle
Well, it's been defeated ... for the moment. A proposal to legalise “assisted suicide” was raised in Parliament and, thanks largely to a splendidly forthright speech from Baroness Campbell, was voted down.
The proposed new law was raised as an amendment by Lord Falconer in the House of Lords. Recently there has been much publicity given in Britain to people whose grave disabilities have made them believe they no longer wish to live, and who have travelled to Switzerland with relatives to die in a scheme operated by an organisation created specifically for this purpose. It was inevitable that supporters of this idea would seek to legalise it in Britain too. Thank God, this attempt has failed.
Baroness Campbell has suffered since babyhood from a crippling disease, sometimes needing a ventilator to help her breathe. She cannot walk and is confined to a wheelchair. This has not stopped her having a distinguished career culminating in being appointed to the House of Lords. Her speech denouncing the notion of “assisted suicide” spoke passionately about the way in which it would put pressure on people who felt that their families found them a burden, and revealed the thoughts and feelings of one who knew only too well that she had more than once been deemed to have a life not worth enduring. This was a voice of truth and courage.
Earlier, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of Westminster, and the Chief Rabbi had jointly written to the press with a similar and powerful message. They spoke in defence of human life and the rights of the gravely ill. This united witness provided a strong moral message. We can be grateful for it.
It will be necessary to be vigilant: supporters of euthanasia will renew the pressure and keep up an insistent campaign. For the moment, we can feel boosted by this victory for truth and goodness.
By Joanna Bogle
Well, it's been defeated ... for the moment. A proposal to legalise “assisted suicide” was raised in Parliament and, thanks largely to a splendidly forthright speech from Baroness Campbell, was voted down.The proposed new law was raised as an amendment by Lord Falconer in the House of Lords. Recently there has been much publicity given in Britain to people whose grave disabilities have made them believe they no longer wish to live, and who have travelled to Switzerland with relatives to die in a scheme operated by an organisation created specifically for this purpose. It was inevitable that supporters of this idea would seek to legalise it in Britain too. Thank God, this attempt has failed.
Baroness Campbell has suffered since babyhood from a crippling disease, sometimes needing a ventilator to help her breathe. She cannot walk and is confined to a wheelchair. This has not stopped her having a distinguished career culminating in being appointed to the House of Lords. Her speech denouncing the notion of “assisted suicide” spoke passionately about the way in which it would put pressure on people who felt that their families found them a burden, and revealed the thoughts and feelings of one who knew only too well that she had more than once been deemed to have a life not worth enduring. This was a voice of truth and courage.
Earlier, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Archbishop of Westminster, and the Chief Rabbi had jointly written to the press with a similar and powerful message. They spoke in defence of human life and the rights of the gravely ill. This united witness provided a strong moral message. We can be grateful for it.
It will be necessary to be vigilant: supporters of euthanasia will renew the pressure and keep up an insistent campaign. For the moment, we can feel boosted by this victory for truth and goodness.
To read more of Joanna Bogle’s blogs, please log onto http://www.ewtn.com/ and click on “A Catholic Journalist in London .”
UK Telegraph interview: Baroness Campbell: Believe me, I absolutely love my life
Here is a part of her speech taken from the article:
''Those of us who know what it is to live with a terminal condition are fearful the tide has already turned against us,'' she warned. ''If I should ever seek death – and there have been times when my progressive condition challenges me – I want to guarantee that you are with me, supporting my continued life and its value. The last thing I want is for you to give up on me, especially when I need you most.'' Assisted dying, she told the peers starkly, ''is to abandon hope and ignore the majority of disabled and terminally ill.''
You can also read an article about the debate that the Baroness wrote for The Daily Mail here:
posted by Al @ 12:12 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home