May 29, 2011
Choosing one's own death should be the right of every living person
facing the process of a long, debilitating, painful terminal
illness. Not everyone finds "dignity in suffering," and yet
religions insist that the value of "life above all else" trumps
individual choice. Eric MacDonald and his wife faced the decision
in her choice to end her life. The government of Canada and the
authorities of the Anglican Church, of which MacDonald was a
priest, threw up legal roadblocks and threats if Elizabeth were to
choose to terminate her own life in Canada. Since his experience,
Eric decided that the doubts he had been carrying about his
religion could never be resolved considering the weight of the
cruelty in not allowing Elizabeth to choose how she was to end her
life. He has since become an outspoken atheist, defending the "New
Atheists" against charges of shallow philosophy and a light
understand of theology. He writes about his interpretations of
Church authority and atheism at his blog. Eric's Blog A Choice In
Dying - http://choiceindying.com/ More information on Dignitas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dignitas_%28euthanasia_group%29