Desmond Tutu has supported calls for a rethink on the Church of England’s stance on assisted dying claiming life should not be preserved “at any cost”.
The retired Anglican archbishop said laws to stop people being allowed help to end their lives removed their “human right to dignity”.
Tutu branded the treatment of Nelson Mandela, who was kept alive through a long and painful illness which saw him wheeled in and out of hospital and forced to take part in PR-driven photo shoots, an “affront to Madiba’s dignity”.
He claimed he did not want his own life to be “prolonged artificially”.
The 82-year-old spoke out as the Church of England took the unprecedented step of calling for a major review on whether to allow assisted dying after Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, stunned senior bishops by declaring his support for a change in the law.
In the wake of Lord Carey’s dramatic intervention, the Bishop of Carlisle, the Rt Rev James Newcome, said that the Church would now back a royal commission to re-examine the issue.
Bishop Newcome, who speaks for the Church in the Lords on health issues, said that while bishops had been “surprised” by the content and timing of the former Archbishop’s article, it had highlighted “just what an important issue this is”.
This week, the House of Lords will consider a proposal by Lord Falconer to allow doctors to prescribe terminally ill patients a lethal dose of drugs if they are believed to have less than six months to life. Lord Falconer said yesterday that there was now clear momentum for change.
Lord Carey publicly broke ranks with the official Church of England position on assisted dying with a newspaper article yesterday morning. In a major departure from his own previous position on the issue, Lord Carey argued that Christian teaching did not rule out helping people to end their lives out of compassion.
Although polling suggests that a majority of regular churchgoers could support a change in the law, Lord Carey was the first major figure in the church to articulate that view.
Now Tutu has backed him by claiming quality of life must be considered when debating the issue.
Writing in The Observer, he said: “I have been fortunate to spend my life working for dignity for the living. Now I wish to apply my mind to the issue of dignity for the dying. I revere the sanctity of life – but not at any cost.”
He went on: "People should die a decent death.
"For me that means having had the conversations with those I have crossed with in life and being at peace. It means being able to say goodbye to loved ones – if possible, at home."
The former Archbishop of Cape Town revealed he had discussed his own death with his family.
"I have come to realise that I do not want my life to be prolonged artificially," he said.
"I think when you need machines to help you breathe then you have to ask questions about the quality of life being experienced and about the way money is being spent. This may be hard for some people to consider.
"But why is a life that is ending being prolonged? Why is money being spent in this way?
“It could be better spent on a mother giving birth to a baby, or an organ transplant needed by a young person. Money should be spent on those that are at the beginning or in full flow of their life. Of course, these are my personal opinions and not of my church."
He added: "I can see I would probably incline towards the quality of life argument, whereas others will be more comfortable with palliative care. Yes, I think a lot of people would be upset if I said I wanted assisted dying. I would say I wouldn't mind, actually."
He noted that Falconer's bill will be debated on Mandela Day, which would have been the 96th birthday of South Africa's first black president.
He called for his home country of South Africa to follow Britain's lead in re-examining laws around assisted dying.
"On Mandela Day we will be thinking of a great man.
"On the same day, on 18 July 2014 in London, the House of Lords will be holding a second hearing on Lord Falconer's bill on assisted dying. Oregon, Washington, Quebec, Holland, Switzerland have already taken this step.
“South Africa has a hard-won constitution that we are proud of that should provide a basis to guide changes to be made on the legal status of end-of-life wishes to support the dignity of the dying."
Tutu added: “What was done to Madiba [Nelson Mandela] was disgraceful.
“There was that occasion when Madiba was televised with political leaders, President Jacob Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa. You could see Madiba was not fully there. He did not speak. He was not connecting. My friend was no longer himself. It was an affront to Madiba's dignity.”
London rabbi, Jonathan Romain, has also spoken on behalf of 60 religious leaders in support of the Falconer proposals.
He said reform was needed now medical advances meant people were being kept alive in a physical and mental state that many felt was intolerable.
He said: "I see no sanctity in suffering, nothing holy about agony."
