Parish Priest Nicholas Price said the bill to legalise assisted suicide in England and Wales is a slippery slope which is being rushed into law.
Wales’ oldest Greek Orthodox Church is opposing legalisation of assisted suicide and calling it barbaric.
Father Nicholas Price of the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint Nicholas said the bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales is a slippery slope which is being rushed into law.
“Assisted suicide is barbaric and fundamentally wrong,” said Price. “Our fundamental principle is that life is given by God. He decides when we enter life and when we leave. As human beings, we are making decisions that belong to God, and we should not be doing that.”
The Church posted a link on its Facebook asking the public to sign on to a campaign by a pro-life charity called Right to Life which works against abortion, assisted suicide and embryo research.
On Friday, the House of Commons backed the bill to legalise assisted dying by 330 votes in favour to 275 against. The bill passed the first stage and will now face months of parliamentary scrutiny and approval before becoming a law.
Labour MP Kim Leadbeater brought the bill as a private member and argued that there are robust safeguards against misuse as any assisted suicide procedure requires satisfaction of at least two doctors and the approval of the High Court.
Pressuring or coercing a person to make a declaration that they wish to end their life will be punishable by a maximum 14-year prison sentence and the supporters of the bill stress that it will provide a dignified death to those suffering unbearable pain.
However, Price argued that even with the safeguards, the bill is dangerous and may go down the same route as abortion.
“It is irrelevant whether there are safeguards or not. It is ultimately wrong. We heard the same arguments on abortion bill too. Soon, someone will say the State can make decisions for people who are in care homes for a long time. Because it is expensive to take care of these people, they will say let’s just spend £100 on an injection. It is a dangerous road to go down.”
The parish priest further said that from a Christian perspective, a person does not have absolute rights over their body
“The body and the soul are both created by the God. The body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, it is not a plaything. So, it is not really in my gift to end my life. That is the decision that only belongs to God.”