European Protestants work on common euthanasia position

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/european.protestants.work.on.common.euthanasia.position/21691.htm

[Christianity Today UK] 20 Oct 2008--European Protestants met in Vienna last week for a consultation to begin the process of drawing up a common position on euthanasia.

The Specialist Group on Ethics of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe and other Protestant experts on the subject of euthanasia are looking at existing position papers from CPCE member churches to help draw up the common statement.

Group coordinator, Dr Dieter Heidtmann said, “The positions of the churches are based on the same values and convictions, but on individual questions they arrive at different results.”

He added that Europe’s Protestant churches were “grappling intensively” with the tension between individual autonomy, the safeguarding of life, and support for the suffering.