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A week ago MP Kim Leadbetter’s bill on ‘assisted dying’ (AD) was passed at second reading in the House of Commons by 330 votes to 275.  When such a proposal was last debated in the House of Commons in 2015, it was defeated by 330 votes to 118.  Why such a change in just nine years?  No doubt the reasons are complex, but some likely contributing factors stand out.  Some are immediate; others the culmination of longer-term trends.

1. The growth of secularism.  In 2015, 25% of MPs had refused to swear their oath at the start of the Parliament on a religious text.  Among the current crop of MPs, 40% had.  Of course I cannot prove alignment between MPs’ oaths and their voting patterns, but this does show how significant secularism is now; indeed, it is the prevailing language of much public discourse, and of our ruling classes. This has the effect of moving the debate away from ultimate moral principles towards utilitarianism.  Lord Falconer ticked off the Justice Secretary for the possibility that her religious faith was influencing her opposition to AD, as if this were out of order.
2. The arrogance of progressivism.  We are somehow sure that our generation has it right, and those of the past were in the dark ages.  They can easily be disregarded. The truth is that this particular debate concerned part of the common law of England, which has been on our books for centuries – yet the Government allocated it only five hours of debate.
3. The use of euphemism: “assisted dying” for assisted suicide or doctor-aided killing makes it all sound more plausible.
4. The cult of autonomy and personal choice.  Historians can explain how this huge three-centuries-in-the-making shift in the Western mindset came about, but now we are seeing its poisoned fruit.  Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner wrote me a courteous letter in response to mine, but included the line “My long-held position on this matter is that everyone should have the right to choose how to end their life.”  The trouble is that your choice is not yours alone.  On AD, the choice which is presented as only for the few, actually presents everyone with a choice, whether they like it or not.  Ask a sick person who feels they are a drain on society.
5. The eyes of the churches – especially the Church of England – were somewhat off the ball, taken up with the events surrounding the Archbishop’s resignation.  I have found in ministry that when there is some big and difficult thing, it can be wise to ask, “What am I in danger of missing because of this?”, because the devil is so wily.  I am not saying those events are unimportant – far from it – but perhaps this contributed to the hierarchy not mounting a truly effective Christian case.
6. We have lost a Christian perspective on life and death.  The sixth commandment is left out of our discourse.  Life – neither yours nor even my own  – is not mine to take.  And decades of universalist preaching have created the fearful misperception that death will always be the end of our sufferings.

All this said, we are not without hope!  We have a much better story to tell: of a God who knows and tells us what is best for our flourishing; who has the true answer to suffering and death; who is known for His concern for the weak and vulnerable; who puts us in the caring family of the church; who is mighty to hear and answer prayer.  Pray on!