By JSCARSON
In recent months there has been increasing debate on whether or not the law should be changed in this country to permit a doctor to kill his terminally ill patients or to assist them in their suicide should they so request. The big questions that many lawyers, doctors and pastors are facing are these: Does medically-assisted death have a place within healthcare? Is medically-assisted death just another end-of-life choice that some people have to make? Would a change in the current legislation put pressure on vulnerable people to consider assisted dying because they were making demands on their carers? These questions raise major theological and ethical issues which cause much concern for individuals who are directly affected, as well as for legislators and those in the legal, medical and caring professions.
Union Theological College, in cooperation with the Church and Society Committee of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, is hosting the third The Church in the Public Square Conference on Thursday 22 January 2015 on the theme “Living and Dying Well”. The conference will address the ethical, pastoral and legal issues surrounding the attempts to legislate in favour of assisted suicide. As an ordinary church member, or as a professional person …read more
Read the full article here: http://www.spiritofunion.org/living-dying-well/
