Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84Plough Quarterly • Autumn 2016 57 euthanasia. Yet time and again, our arguments have won over our legislators, much of the serious press, and healthcare professionals. I well remember the look on the face of my CEO here at the Christian Medical Fellowship when, after having successfully helped to defeat two assisted-dying bills before the Westminster and Scottish parliaments, he received a call that another, newly re-elected MP would be bringing yet another bill before the House of Commons after the British general election in May 2015. Just as we thought the battle was won, the war began again. Fortunately, the bill went nowhere. After long and serious debate, with great speeches on both sides, the house overwhelmingly voted down the proposed legislation by a three-to-one majority, stalling this push in Westminster Parliament for at least the next five years. To care and show compassion is an essential mark of discipleship (2 Cor. 1:3–7). Equally, discipleship demands the willingness to stand up and speak for truth, for the vulnerable, and for the marginalized (Isa. 1:17). As a nurse and as a Christian, I must do both. I cannot cred- ibly do one without the other. To give the best care, to enter into the world of the dying and their loved ones, to share those last days and help them have peace, to give comfort and meaning through those days – these are great privileges and responsi- bilities. But by that same token, we must work to ensure that the dying are not encouraged to prematurely terminate their lives in the mis- taken belief that they are escaping suffering. Rather, it’s our task to make sure they know that they, far from being unwanted burdens, are valued and loved to the end.  Christian faith, and it is an experience that transformed me as both a nurse and a father. Daring Peace When advocates for assisted dying argue that it is a lack of compassion that drives caretakers like me to oppose their agenda, we have had to constantly, compassionately, and patiently argue back with the facts. People do not need to die in pain and with uncontrolled symp- toms. Allowing doctors or nurses to kill certain groups of people, or to assist them in killing themselves, will eventually lead to opening the same “option” to anyone who feels that his or her life is not worth living. We are already seeing this happen in the Netherlands and Belgium, where voluntary euthanasia legisla- tion has slowly been extended to those with dementia, to those in comas, to infants and children, and most recently to those struggling with past traumas, anxious about the future, or simply tired of living. 2 The consequences of removing these legal constraints are far-reaching. The vulnerable feel pressure (real or imagined) to stop burden- ing their families and society by ending their lives. Governments, healthcare systems, and insurance companies faced with mounting costs start to see assisted death as a cheaper, more “humane” alternative to long-term care. The symmetry of mutual burdensomeness is lost, and society loses its soul as it kills off those it deems unworthy of life in the name of autonomy and compassion. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “There is no way to peace along the way of safety.” Some of my colleagues have been vilified in the press and social media for taking stands against 1. Oregon Death with Dignity Act: 2015 data summary, page 4; Oregon Public Health Division, February 4, 2016. 2. Scott Y. H. Kim; Raymond G. De Vries; John R. Peteet, “Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide of Patients with Psychiatric Disorders in the Netherlands 2011 to 2014,” JAMA Psychiatry 73, no. 4 (2016): 362–368. See also Steve Doughty, “Sex Abuse Victim in Her 20s Allowed to Choose Euthanasia in Holland after Doctors Decided Her Post-traumatic Stress and Other Conditions Were Incurable,” Daily Mail, May 10, 2016.