Letter to the editor: Moral debate necessary

Notes: "The Anglican Church of Canada has provided a study guide to 'In Sure and Certain Hope' in order to encourage Anglicans to 'grapple with realities of medical assistance in dying' (anglicanjournal.com, April 3, 2018). As such, one might expect that a fitting way for Anglicans to do so would be to reason together in light of Scripture and tradition. Thus, it was to my surprise that I discovered we are being encouraged to wrestle with these complex realities not in terms of ethical debate, but in terms of a so-called 'pastoral response'. One may ask, however, can a response that discourages moral and ethical debate ever truly be pastoral ? Can there be charity apart from clarity ? Medical aid in dying is a reality that we now face in Canada. How we think about these things matters deeply. As Anglicans, we ought to embrace rigorous moral debate that begins with Scripture and tradition. Apart from doing so we simply have no pastoral wisdom to offer". [Text of entire article.]

Subjects: Death - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada; Assisted suicide - Moral and ethical aspects; Euthanasia - Moral and ethical aspects; Euthanasia - Religious aspects - Anglican Church of Canada; Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID); Bible - Criticism, interpretation, etc. - Anglican Church of Canada; In Sure and Certain Hope