Scottish Catholic Observer

The letter, which was coordinated by two young Catholics, comes on the back of a fresh push by MSPs to legalise assisted suicide.

“We, the young people of Scotland, are extremely concerned and saddened by the calls recently made by some MSPs to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland,” the letter reads.

Sad message

“Simply put, legalising assisted suicide would result in the Scottish Parliament declaring that they believe that some forms of life are not worthy of living.

“What a terribly sad message this is to send to the people of Scotland.

“We firmly believe that authorities should instead channel their resources and efforts into caring for people, especially those who suffer with terminal illness.”

Campaign for assisted suicide

In March, a cross-party group of MSPs was established to campaign for assisted suicide in Scotland, despite previous attempts having been rejected by Holyrood.

Anthony Horan, director of the Catholic Parliamentary Office, told the SCO at the time: “Any attempt to introduce assisted suicide in Scotland must be resisted. We cannot simply sit back and allow vulnerable people in our society to have their lives prematurely ended.”

The letter, signed by 158 people under the age of 25, was coordinated by James Bundy and Jamie McGowan.

Life worth defending

Mr Bundy said they organised the letter ‘to demonstrate that the young people of Scotland feel that human life is worth defending and believe that the way we treat those who are terminally ill is a proper measure of true progress in society.’

“By achieving over 150 signatures, I think it is safe to say we have delivered this message loudly and clearly,” he said.

He added: “I felt a deep sense of regret and sadness when I first heard that some Members of the Scottish Parliament relaunched their efforts to legalise assisted suicide.

“Human life is a precious gift that we are all given and it is heartbreaking to see that some would prefer to undermine this gift.”

Oregon

The letter argues that Oregon, where assisted suicide has been legal since 1998, ‘almost two-thirds of people who want to die cite that the fear of there being a burden on family and friends is the reason why they want to end their life.’

“Can we really call ourselves a caring society if we create a culture where people feel pressured into ending their lives because they feel they are a burden on loved ones?” it reads.

Compassion

“Are we a compassionate society if people end their lives because they are less able to engage in activities with friends and family? Are we a loving society if we create a culture where people feel they have lost dignity simply because they have a terminal illness?

“We believe that a caring society would make it their priority to care for those who are terminally ill, so they feel like a person and not a burden. A compassionate society would encourage friends and family to spend as much time with loved ones.

“A loving society would create a culture where every single person was shown respect and decency by others. So rather than making assisted suicide legal, we urge civil authorities to channel their resources and efforts into caring for people.”