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How the march of assisted suicide devalues the lives of those who need our care

Recent media coverage promoting assisted dying clearly demonstrates a significant problem with perceptions on the current proposals to change the law. To garner support for assisted dying, media stories and celebrity interviews already refer to situations that lie well beyond the scope of the proposed assisted dying legislation. As a result, we may be marching towards the inevitable expansion of assisted dying to include death on request, based on feelings of pity, and in situations not confined to the request of the patient.

Antiqua et Nova: Note on the relationship between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence – A Summary

This document was published by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and Dicastery for Culture and Education on 14^th January 2025. Below is a summary which follows the headings and structure of the original document.

Why does the tax system discriminate against caring in the home?

We have a new government which is just as fiscally constrained as the previous government. One reason it is fiscally constrained is because of the low birthrate. Perhaps we would do better in that respect if we had a tax system which did not discriminate against a parent staying at home (or working limited hours outside the home) whilst caring for the famiy’s children and elderly.

Globalisation and the common good – video explainer

The Catholic social thought site has a range of video explainers. At the current time, when the news is full of tariffs and restrictions on migration, I thought it would be appropriate to post this video on Catholic social thought and globalisation. With thanks to the narrator Jasmine de Kretser.

Legalising assisted suicide is always a one-way ticket

Kim Leadbeater’s bill, designed to introduce assisted suicide, has passed its second reading. But the debate is not finished. Many MPs voted to support it because they believed that the bill could be improved. There is a danger that, as MPs debate specific amendments, they will forget the principle that crossing the threshold to allow assisted suicide sets us going on a process which is no longer entirely in the control of parliament. The experience of many countries shows this. But, in the spirit of taking on arguments at their strongest points, it is worth looking at how even the most tightly drafted bill will not stand the test of time. No amendment can make this bill safe.

Assisted suicide should fall at second reading

As the UK parliament moves closer to the momentous vote on assisted suicide on 29th November, it is worth taking stock of the arguments. The arguments in favour of the bill fall on each of the grounds of principle, practice and because of the inadequacies of the bill – and you do not have to be Catholic to accept the arguments against.

Assisted suicide: the importance of evidence

With the announcement of a new debate in parliament on ‘assisted dying’ in the coming weeks, many people are anticipating the end of what they term a ‘cruel law’ that prevents medical practitioners from giving patients lethal drugs so that patients can end their own life. As Esther Rantzen has said, ‘all I’m asking for is that we be given the dignity of choice.’ Those like Dame Esther in favour of a change in law argue that evidence from other legislatures shows that with proper safeguards there is no abuse, no coercion, no slippery slope. As the advocate of several attempts to change the law, Lord Falconer has said, 300 million people around the world already have access to ‘safe, tried and tested assisted dying’.

When words lose their meaning, people will lose their lives

One of the areas of work of F. A. Hayek was the evolution and use of language. He noted that Confucius was reported to have said: “when words lose their meaning, people will lose their liberty.” And Hayek described the profound impact on culture and politics of the ability of intellectuals to use old words and give them new meanings. Sometimes, and misleadingly, those meanings were the opposite of their classical definitions. Unfortunately, we can see this phenomenon today when it comes to life issues.

Corruption, business and the care of creation

There is a wide variation in practice in relation to whether business enterprises respect the natural environment and human dignity as well as the rights of local communities. Best practice in environmental sustainability and the protection of the rights and dignity of local people can only be achieved if both governments and companies fulfil their proper functions and behave ethically. A typical situation here might be a mining or other industrial company choosing to operate in a poorer country.

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