{UAH} S Africa's Tutu backs assisted dying
S Africa's Tutu backs assisted dying | |||
Former archbishop says terminally ill should be afforded dignity of choice as UK gears up to discuss bill.Last updated: 13 Jul 2014 15:01
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Writing in the Observer, Tutu said he had asked his family not to prolong his life artificially [AP] | |||
South Africa's Anglican Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu says he supports assisted dying for the terminally ill. Tutu's comments come a day after the Anglican Church's former leader backed a bill to legalise it in Britain. George Carey, the former archbishop of Canterbury, said on Saturday he had changed his mind and would support a British bill to allow assisted suicide in certain cases. 'Changed my mind' Carey, 78, who now sits in the House of Lords [parliament's upper chamber] after leaving office as the spiritual leader of the world's Anglicans in 2002, told the Daily Mail that he had dropped his long-standing opposition. "The fact is I've changed my mind," he wrote in a piece for the British newspaper. "The old philosophical certainties have collapsed in the face of the reality of needless suffering," he explained. Carey said he would support the bill, brought by Lord Charles Falconer, which would allow mentally capable adults to request help to die if they were suffering from a terminal illness and had less than six months to live But the Church remains officially opposed to the legislation and has called for a public inquiry into the issue. "What was done to Madiba was disgraceful," he wrote. "You could see that Madiba was not fully there. My friend was no longer himself. It was an affront to Madiba's dignity." The bill is due to be debated in the House of Lords next week. On Tutu's comments, Falconer told the Observer he was "really glad that someone of his stature is taking part in this important debate." "I very much hope that it will indicate that religion is not a bar to supporting this bill," he said. The Church of England on Sunday called for an Royal Commission - a major public inquiry - to be held on the issue. |
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