Archbishop Desmond Tutu announces he wants to die by assisted suicide

South Africa's retired Anglican archbishop and
anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu marked his
85th birthday yesterday. He also announced same
yesterday that he wants the right to end his own
life.
The anti-apartheid veteran said laws against
helping people to die should be abolished. He
claimed he has the right to be ‘allowed to pass
on to the next phase in the manner of my choice’.
In an article published on Washington Post, the
former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town said:
‘Just as I have argued firmly for compassion and
fairness in life, I believe that terminally ill people
should be treated with the same compassion and
fairness when it comes to their deaths.
Terminally ill people have control over their lives,
so why should they be refused control over their
deaths? Why are so many instead forced to
endure terrible pain and suffering against their
wishes. Regardless of what you might choose for
yourself, why should you deny others the right to
make this choice?
‘For those suffering unbearably and coming to the
end of their lives, merely knowing that an assisted
death is open to them can provide immeasurable
comfort.
‘I have prepared for my death and have made it
clear that I do not wish to be kept alive at all
costs. I hope I am treated with compassion and
allowed to pass on to the next phase of life’s
journey in the manner of my choice.
In refusing dying people the right to die with
dignity, we fail to demonstrate the compassion
that lies at the heart of Christian values.
‘I pray that politicians, lawmakers and religious
leaders have the courage to support the choices
terminally ill citizens make in departing Mother
Earth. The time to act is now.’
‘I myself am even closer to the departures hall
than arrivals, so to speak, and my thoughts turn
to how I would like to be treated when the time
comes.’
Desmond Tutu's plea comes at a time when
assisted dying campaigners in Britain have run
into a barrier because of the refusal of MPs to
weaken the safeguards built into criminal law.
Anyone found guilty of helping someone kill
themselves can face a 14-year jail sentence.
However, assisted suicide is lawful in Belgium,
the Netherlands and Oregon in the US.
Photos of Tutu at his birthday tea party in Cape
Town yesterday: