'A watershed moment for society': Northern Ireland's main Protestant church reacts to MPs voting in favour of assisted dying
Northern Ireland’s main Protestant church has reacted to news that the assisted dying bill will progress to the next stage in Parliament.
After a major debate on the issue in the House of Commons today, 330 voted in favour of the bill and 275 against.
Only one MP from Northern Ireland voted in favour – Colum Eastwood.
All the others (except Claire Hanna, who didn’t vote) voted against.
In the end the vote was not as close as had been predicted; forecasts on Thursday night were that the ‘for’ side had the edge, but only by a few votes.
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has now issued a statement voicing their upset at the outcome, and calling it a “watershed moment” for UK society.
In a joint statement, moderator Richard Murray and Daniel Kane, convenor of its Council for Public Affairs voiced “deep disappointment, sadness and regret” over the vote.
"The preservation, protection, and dignity of human life are moral and precious values that cannot, and should not, be altered by legislative change,” they said.
"This morning’s vote is a watershed moment for the UK, both culturally and spiritually, which has shifted the value that society places on life itself.
“Along with others, we firmly believe that no amount of legal safeguards can ensure the safety of the most vulnerable in society and protect them from emotional coercion, or the very feeling that they are now a burden to their family...
“It is also important to recognise that a natural death is something that God has ordained as part of life.
"As society has moved further from Him, we are reminded of the fact that death is not the end. We believe that the Bible teaches that God knows what suffering feels like and He is well able to help us in our times of suffering.
"Where personal autonomy and individual choice have often driven this debate, we should remember that in our humanity we are also spiritual beings, created for dependence, not self-sufficiency.
"Our comfort and confidence in our suffering is that there is the assurance of everlasting life, by God’s Grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The reality is that this life is not all that there is.”