Communications Manager Paul Huxley discusses the manipulative language used by pro-euthanasia campaigners to disguise the grim reality of assisted suicide
For years, the pro-euthanasia campaign has been working to change our language to make their pro-death vision more palatable.
And Christians – even experienced, knowledgeable ones – are continuing to fall into their trap.
‘Assisted dying’ is not removing life support, as some think. It’s not writing a ‘do not resuscitate’ request or providing pain relief in someone’s dying moments.
It is an act that actively takes someone’s life, for example by lethal injection.
Language of ‘assisted dying’ conceals this reality. So why are so many people using this misleading phrase?
‘Euthanasia’
Until 2006, the group pushing for Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide bill was called the Voluntary Euthanasia Society.
The word ‘euthanasia’ simply comes from Greek, meaning a ‘good death’. This word specifically refers to situations where a doctor or another professional ends someone’s life with their consent – a kind of so-called ‘mercy killing’.
But ‘euthanasia’ is associated with some of the worst atrocities of the twentieth century, including mass killings in Nazi Germany. ‘Euthanasia’ also sounds technical and scary. The idea of doctors killing patients sends chills down most people’s spines.
The switch to ‘assisted dying’
In the 1960s and 70s, attempts to legalise ‘voluntary’ or ‘passive’ euthanasia failed.
So, the pro-death lobby started promoting assisted suicide. It’s the same concept, but where someone is aided to take their own life.
Assisting suicide is illegal in the United Kingdom. The 1961 Suicide Act uses this language:
A person (“D”) commits an offence if—
(a) D does an act capable of encouraging or assisting the suicide or attempted suicide of another person, and
(b) D’s act was intended to encourage or assist suicide or an attempt at suicide.
Time after time, when politicians have tried to change this law, they have avoided this accurate term. They’ve called it ‘assisted dying’. Sometimes, they seek to justify this by saying they are in favour of both assisted suicide and euthanasia, claiming ‘assisted dying’ is just an umbrella term.
But this is deliberately confusing language. Polls have shown that the public does not understand this terminology, believing it to mean, or include, ordinary palliative care. When explained that it means actively assisting suicide, support drops significantly.
This misunderstanding has enabled the pro-death lobby to suggest that the current law is wildly out of step with public opinion, and a matter that our democratic government must urgently address.
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
However, this has all changed with the latest push for assisted suicide. Kim Leadbeater’s bill is called the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
This completely obscures the reality of what it would legalise. A bill with that title could easily exist to secure better end of life palliative care for people with terminal illnesses. But it exists solely to allow for vulnerable people to receive aid to kill themselves.
So why are we still calling it ‘assisted dying’?
For decades, pro-life organisations have insisted on calling this kind of law what it is – assisted suicide. This presents the issue truthfully and highlights one of its many disturbing problems.
Most of us instinctively understand that we shouldn’t help someone in distress to kill themselves. To truly help that person, we do everything we can to address the problem (mental, physical, social, financial) that is causing those feelings. We tell them that life is worth living, that whatever they’re going through, they are loved and valued by others.
Using the term ‘assisted suicide’ is accurate and honest. But the media is constantly calling this a debate about ‘assisted dying’.
Unfortunately, Christians are being sucked into using this manipulative language.
It is very easy for us to accidentally start using this language. It even happens within the Christian Concern team. Our use of language is often imitative, and seeing a phrase repeatedly can lead us to use it ourselves.
We need to switch our brains on when talking about assisted suicide, and call it what it is. This is a simple and effective way to remember what’s at stake.
Now that Leadbeater’s bill has abandoned this language, there is absolutely no reason for us to use it.
Suicide media guidelines
Some of us may be wary about this, knowing that talking about suicide can be very dangerous.
The guidelines for media from the charity Samaritans explains that the way the media reports on suicide is highly influential. Describing suicide, the language used, speaking about ‘trends’ and many other elements of news reporting can tragically lead to more suicides.
One specific piece of advice from the charity is to avoid mentioning oversimplified triggers for suicide in reports.
But this is precisely what the reporting on assisted suicide does. It implies that being terminally ill is a valid trigger to end your own life.
This may be why reporting so often veers away from calling assisted suicide what it really is – because then people would make the link and see how incompatible suicide prevention is with the pro-death lobby’s attempts to change the law.
If assisted suicide becomes legal, we will also see a monumental push to extend it to other conditions as in Canada. ‘Terminally ill’ will be quickly labelled discriminatory and extended to anyone with ‘intolerable suffering’. Mental health conditions will begin to be covered rather than just physical health conditions.
In other words, we will be told there are more and more legitimate triggers for people to kill themselves. We will be doing the exact opposite of what the advice from Samaritans tells us to do.
Media organisations may be avoiding the word ‘suicide’ in an attempt to follow this advice, but ultimately, they are making things worse.
Two weeks to stand for life
As I write, there are just over two weeks until the bill faces its second reading.
It’s a crucial time for all of us to value life and to make a difference – by engaging our MPs, calling our churches to act and, of course, praying.
But one simple thing we can all do, no matter how much time we have, is to call this what it is: assisted suicide.
