My thoughts on the assisted dying bill and the sovereignty of God

I would suspect that most, if not all Christians, will agree on the sanctity of life. That God ordains our first and last breath (Psalm 139:16). So my reflections today are not debating this point. Yet, as Christians I feel we should approach this situation with gentleness and compassion, whilst standing firm for God’s truth.

As a result of the Fall, people experience some truly horrific situations in this life and due to my own experiences, I can completely empathise with desperately willing someone’s suffering to be over.

In November 2021, I received a call that changed everything.

In November 2021, I received a call that changed everything. One of my parents’ neighbours rang me around 10pm. She told me that my mum had fallen down the stairs and had been rushed to hospital. When we arrived, we were led into a side room which I knew could be no good sign. The doctor came in and explained that the staff had done everything they could to save her, but there was nothing more that could be done.

Up until this point, I had had very little experience with death. Yet, as we sat there in that small room, as they turned off the machines that were keeping her alive, as we sobbed and held on to her broken body, the Lord met us there. What a juxtaposition… the tragedy of death and the life-giving presence of God. He was there until the very end and that is true for each and every one of us.

The following day, my dad had a stroke. He was taken into hospital for a week or so and after being home for just one night, he collapsed. He was diagnosed with end stage pancreatic cancer and given 12 weeks to live. It truly felt as though my world was shattering.

My husband suggested that my dad move in with us, for which I will be eternally grateful to him.

My husband suggested that my dad move in with us, for which I will be eternally grateful to him. I am not going to sugarcoat it, it was hard. Really hard. My dad was very poorly and I was attempting to grieve my mum’s death, advocate for my dad’s needs, look after my young family and continue teaching part time. As much as we tried to not let it show, my dad knew that it was hard on all of us. I truly believe that if he had been given the option of assisted dying, there is a strong chance he would have taken it. MP Ed Davey recently spoke about his fear of the pressure elderly people would internalise should the assisted dying bill become law, feeling like a burden to their families. I know this burden to be true. But what precious memories and what joy we would have missed out on.

After six weeks, my dad fell during the night in his bedroom and broke his neck. He was taken to hospital in an ambulance. Quite honestly, his care in the hospital for the last week of his life was truly appalling and he was in a lot of pain. I so desperately wanted his suffering to end, that I found it hard to breathe. But even in this, God was near. The night before he passed away, I sobbed and worshipped, reaching out to God in my desperation and grief. I wanted to know, “Why? Why like this?” And God responded. I have never heard the Lord speak so clearly as he did that night,

“I have been here with him this whole time. I am bringing him into glory. I am bringing him home.” Even in my heartbreak, God’s word changed everything. He had not failed or abandoned any of us. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

The desperation to ease pain when someone is suffering is very real, which is why we must approach these situations with the compassion they deserve. Yet, God is still sovereign. He knows the beginning, from the end and works all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). He can and does work through those last moments of our lives if we, as a society, would only let him.