Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill [HL]

My Lords, we have not seen so many Bishops here since the debate on Sunday trading. Obviously, death is the business of the Church and it does not want it to be hastened. Religion relies on fear and the religious love suffering. I am an atheist and I have no fear, certainly no fear of God or the afterlife. I value my life, but I value it for the pleasure it gives me, and as soon as I cannot derive any pleasure, I want to be rid of it. I have always liked the Bill because it gives me autonomy. The right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans said that autonomy is one of the dangerous diseases that are completely contrary to human nature. Well, that may be in the Church of England, but the rest of us who are not Christians, Muslims or Jews have a mind of our own and therefore we like personal autonomy. I cherish my personal autonomy, and if I were to lose it to some religious dogma, I would be very sorry indeed. The conservative argument has a constant structure whether applied to House of Lords reform, the Speakership of your Lordships’ House or assisted dying. The first element is the slippery slope: ““You do this, and the next thing you know, you will all be killed whether you like it or not””. The second element is adverse consequences, to which the noble Viscount, Lord Tenby, has just referred: ““Whatever we do, what happens will be contrary to what we intend or an exaggerated version of it. Those who do not like change always say it, regardless. I should not say ““Thank God”” but thank somebody or other, thank the random numbers, change happens. As the noble Earl, Lord Arran, said, his father had to introduce a Bill on homosexuality reform four times. Eventually, it happened. This happens to be the birthday of the noble Lord, Lord Joffe. Normally I would congratulate him, but I hope he lives long enough to introduce this Bill again and again, until we get what we want. We shall fight and we shall fight on.