Bishop speaks out on assisted suicides controversy (From Swindon Advertiser)

Bishop speaks out on assisted suicides controversy

9:20am Wednesday 17th February 2010 in

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THE BISHOP of Swindon has warned that the controversial debate on assisted suicide is in danger of being hijacked by celebrities.

The Right Reverend Dr Lee Rayfield, who opposes calls to relax the ban on euthanasia, spoke out after a TV presenter made an on-air confession that he killed his lover, who was dying from Aids.

The claim, made by Ray Gosling on the BBC's Inside Out programme on Monday, is being investigated by Nottinghamshire Police.

It follows a separate call by author Sir Terry Pratchett, who lives in Wiltshire and is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, for the setting up of euthanasia tribunals to give sufferers from incurable diseases the right to medical help to end their lives.

Dr Rayfield, asked about Mr Gosling’s claims, said: “When somebody who has a very high public profile comes and speaks about things, sometimes there's a different reaction than if your next door neighbour came on and said ‘this happened and I did it’. I wonder whether we need to be careful about the way so much of this debate is being led by celebrity figures.

“There are a lot of people who get in very difficult situations where they want to end their lives but as a society we don't just have regard to those people and their requests – we have a bigger picture.

“And we know there are many people saying at a point in my life, ‘I wanted to die and I would have asked somebody to help me end my life, and actually I pulled through’, from younger people to people who are elderly.”

The Anglican bishop, who is against the legalisation of assisted suicide, which remains an offence, said: “It isn’t just about one person saying ’this is my decision, it’s about the way I want my life to end’, because it involves all of us.”

Pointing out that some people were still prosecuted for helping others to take their lives, despite moves by the Director of Public Prosecutions to clarify the law surrounding the offence, he added: “I believe, my colleagues in the Church of England believe, and many people of no religious faith at all believe that the law as we have it is sufficient.”

But Sarah Wootton, of Dignity in Dying, said the Gosling case demonstrated that the issue could affect anyone. She said: “Crucially, Ray Gosling’s loved one was terminally ill and clearly asked for help to die when he was suffering unbearably at the end of his life. This illustrates a need for formal assisted dying legislation to help those who want choice at the end of life, as well as protect people who may be vulnerable to coercion.”