The idol of autonomy in the West

If I asked you to name one of the great cultural idols of the secular Western world, what would you say? Materialism? Ease and comfort? Or what about autonomy?

It is the belief in autonomy that has fuelled the more than 10 million abortions that have taken place since 1967 when Parliament passed the legislation. In fact, the creed of the ‘pro-choice’ movement has as its chief article of faith a statement of autonomy: 'my body, my choice.'

The worship of autonomy is also one of the great drivers behind the ongoing push for assisted suicide across the UK. This is true in Scotland, where a Bill is being considered by a committee. It is true in the Isle of Man where legislation is also under scrutiny. It is true in Jersey where there seems to be fresh momentum for assisted suicide.

And it is true in England and Wales as well. People want to be in control of the end of their lives. They want to know they have the option of asking the state to legally help them kill themselves. I have no doubt that on 29 November, when MPs debate Kim Leadbeater’s Bill at Second Reading, many a speech in support will be laced with this toxic, but beguiling idea that legalising assisted suicide is the ultimate expression of faith in autonomy.

A godly response

What can and should we say in response to all this?

Firstly, there is a very sense in which God created human beings with a certain degree of autonomy. For example, you are made in God’s image to live free from exploitation and abuse. Humans are not made to be trafficked or held in any form of modern slavery. As co-image bearers, we share equal dignity and value. As such, we should be free to fulfil the creation mandate of Genesis 1:28 (repeated in Genesis 9:1-7, with necessary modifications due to human sin), to marry (as God intended), to have children (if God graciously allows) and to steward the earth (with God’s help).

But, secondly, a good thing like autonomy, can easily become a god-thing when it is elevated beyond all sense and reason. The prophets of autonomy today tell us that we should control our final moments. They say we have autonomy during life, so why not in death? But this is a complete illusion. We are not fully autonomous. We never have been, and we never will be.

To me, this exposes one of the great deceptions of the pro-assisted suicide lobby. Some like to talk as if introducing assisted suicide is but a minor change to the law. They suggest people can make entirely rational – autonomous – decisions about wanting to die and therefore, should be allowed to.

But this is an alternative reality. The truth is we are all subject to a range of pressures, be they social, financial or relational and these shape and sometimes dictate our choices. This is just one of the ways we are not as free as we like to think.

Every day, we accept limits to our autonomy. There are choices we make, like where to live, who to live with, whether to accept this job or that job based on limitations we cannot control.

This is the folly of secular thinking. When you remove God from the equation, you are left with an impoverished perspective. Repeatedly, the Bible asserts the reality. Which is to say there is only one being who is in control. And that is the living God. 1 Samuel 2:6 says this: 'The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.’

The desire for autonomy is why if the Leadbeater assisted suicide bill passes, we will soon see agitation for the categories to be expanded. We will see people arguing that limiting assisted suicide to those with a terminal illness and six months left to live is too restrictive. For this reason alone – and many, many others – can I urge you to pray that the Bill fails? If you have not done so already, please, contact your MP and urge them to vote against the Bill on 29 November.