Sometimes its not the news thats important

I know that I really ought to commenting on the well thought out and bold pre budget package aid for the recession package announced by Alistair Darling or the outrageous and morally offensice comments by Tory MP Andrew Landsley that the "recession is good for us" but actually its tonight's debate I had with Margo Macdonald about assisted suicide that I flagged up yesterday that is on my mind so these other matters will have to wait for another time.

Margo was her usual thoughtful but firm self, challenging but respectful and open minded. For her, the moral imperative of autonomy over the choice to die when life becomes in tolerable was paramount. For me, the issue was (and is) how we as a society would reconcile the desire to allow a release of pain in an individual that we can only imagine and the danger that accepting the view of a life, even by the persons whose life it is, is a burden, or without meaning, or valueless. Once we do that we open a door to a role of death in life that can only invade already struggling relationships in a dangerous way.

I do not presume to judge.. I do not see this as a debate about right or wrong but my fear is that in our desire to be compassionate we loose something significant about the value of life in and of itself.

What is clear is that the status quo cannot continue. we need clarity as a society about what we will permit and why whatever we conclude is the case. So whilst I do not agree with Margo, I will be contacting Iain Gray to say that this debate should happen ans Labour should help make it happen, whatever the views of individual members on the subject matter.