Modern Believing

Abstract

The acceptability of assisted suicide, irrespective of subjects' competency, evokes differential Christian responses. Existing ethical systems seem unlikely to resolve the impasse. Soon, enacted legal provision(s) may permit assisted suicide. Those provisions, based on Lord Falconer's actions, surprisingly refer to the Abortion Act (1967) and its two certifying doctors. This paper asserts that Falconer's calls for law reform, his reliance on that Act, and the manipulation and ‘bending’ of the Act during its 45-year lifespan, are arguably unsafe, if, indeed, necessary. Supervisory measures offering mandatory oversights before any death is completed or resultant ‘slippery slopes’ incurred, are detailed here.