Recently, in Britain's The Times newspaper, Matthew Parris wrote an article sharing his thoughts on a push before the Scottish Parliament to legalise Voluntary Assisted Dying. NSW, of course, legislated for this last year.
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Parris is nothing if not clear and honest in communicating his position. He is very positive about the legislation and the likely social pressure it would put on the sick and elderly as time goes on.
"As (objectors say) the practice spreads, social and cultural pressure will grow on the terminally ill to hasten their own deaths so as "not to be a burden" on others or themselves. I believe this will indeed come to pass. And I would welcome it.
His argument is fundamentally an economic one. In affluent nations, including Australia, birth rates are plummeting and life expectancy is increasing. For the past decade, Japan has sold more nappies for use by those near the end of life than for newborn babies. But with all these old people who are tainted by "our western populations' sense of entitlement" for a high living standard and a shrinking pool of taxpayers to fund it, how do you care for these people?
Well, his simple answer is that you don't.
"If I am right, our growing interest in assisted dying may reflect a largely unconscious realisation that we simply cannot afford extreme senescence or desperate infirmity for as many such individuals as our society is producing. "Your time is up" will never be an order, but - yes, the objectors are right - may one day be the kind of unspoken hint that everybody understands. And that's a good thing."
I have to admit, I wonder whether Mr Parris will feel this way if he reaches a stage in life when he believes he has more to offer, but those around him start to suggest he's a burden who needs to alleviate them of another visit to his nursing home or to get out of the way of their next tax cut.
Sadly, I suspect Parris is broadly correct in his reading of where things are heading. That being the case, I will gladly stand within the minority position. Why?
Last weekend, many of us celebrated the resurrection of Jesus. This event, absolutely central to the Christian hope, is God's declaration that he is unwinding all that is wrong with our world. Nothing is more horrible in this life than the experience of death. Nothing is more universal. But as Jesus rose from the dead, so too, in time, will God raise every one of us.
Believing that God will raise us from the dead has significant implications. It is the reason that I look forward with confidence to once more seeing many of my loved ones who have died. But it also means that how I live in this life is incredibly important. It proves that God cares deeply about the world he has made and will hold all evil and injustice to account. I will give an account for how I have lived in this life that God has given me in His world.
Within this context, the resurrection of Jesus is God's definitive statement regarding the value he places on our lives. Few topics get as much ink within the Scriptures as the love we are called to show to those God has made and values. This being true, I need to be very careful not to imagine I can decide I know better. Least of all, in an effort to protect my hip pocket, as Parris suggests I should.
