Prospect Podcast

Is assisted dying moral? Rowan Williams and Brenda Hale in conversation

November 06, 2024
Illustration: Paul Ryding
Illustration: Paul Ryding

Would legalising assisted dying end unnecessary suffering? Or would it instead enable the abuse of some of society’s most vulnerable people?

As parliament examines assisted dying once again, Prospect invited two of our most profound thinkers—Rowan Williams and Brenda Hale—to debate the issue. As archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams led a Church that publicly opposes any form of assisted dying, while, as a Supreme Court judge, Brenda Hale was involved in life-or-death judgements.

In a moving exchange, Hale discusses her own Christian faith, while Williams shares his pastoral experience in the company of the dying. They join Prospect’s editor Alan Rusbridger and commissioning editor Emily Lawford for a thoughtful and vitally important conversation.

To read the transcript from the magazine, click here