Margo Macdonald MSP, who failed in a previous attempt to introduce a Bill to legalise assisted dying in Scotland, is introducing a revised Bill with the same aim.

In restating its opposition to changing the law on assisted dying, the Church of Scotland wants to highlight the need to improve and expand care for those at the end of their lives. We oppose legislation allowing assisted suicide, but do not do so lightly. We base our view on a deep concern for others.

The issues are complex and sensitive. Many of us know the pain of watching a loved one go through the final stages of their lives. The church holds that our understanding of humanity is found in community. Our actions impact on one another, sometimes in profound ways which go far beyond the "individual" decisions we make.

Some invoke the idea of autonomy: "It's my life, and I can choose how and when to end it." While personal autonomy is important, it is a dangerous fallacy that a person's actions have no consequences for anybody else. Ironically, the idea of "burden" is, by its very nature, a comment on relationships and therefore not a statement of autonomy.

The Church is concerned that removing the societal prohibition on killing another person crosses a boundary which society should not cross.

A law permitting the taking of life would fundamentally alter how society views the most powerless in our communities. The right to die may become, especially for the vulnerable, a duty to die. Some vulnerable people may feel pressured into accepting assisted suicide, feeling they are a burden on others which they can - indeed MUST - relieve. There is also a danger society will, in time, adopt a different attitude towards those with particular struggles.

We believe in Christ's call to love sacrificially, whatever the cost. The Church has long been involved in caring for the dying. Followers of Christ have long expended themselves in self-sacrifice at the forefront of social care: the Church of Scotland, through Crossreach, remains one of Scotland's largest care providers.

The work of the Church means many of our members find themselves walking with those who are in great suffering. Our views may be shaped by our faith but they are set in our commitment to a community nurtured by the views of people of all faiths and none.

The Church welcomes all efforts to improve the quality of care available to all Scotland's citizens. We therefore find the principle of the Bill being proposed by Ms Macdonald to be deeply disturbing, undermining as it does the need to offer care and comfort to all - especially those who are placed in a vulnerable position as a result of age, incapacity or other circumstance.

Death, as a natural process, cannot be avoided: despite the sadness involved in saying farewell to a loved one, all participants in the process must experience as fulfilled and comfortable a final journey as possible.

Any such legislation would result in a range of healthcare staff involved in the physical, psychological, social and spiritual elements of care being called upon to participate in the deliberate termination of life. Such legislation would represent a seismic shift in the relationship between carer and patient.

A major concern is that any legislation allowing the deliberate killing of another person will never be misused or abused.

The deliberate ending of life would be a matter to be deplored if it were to be seen as a means of saving resources, or if any person was perceived (or perceived themselves) as merely a burden.

Legislation endorsing the deliberate ending of human life undermines our society. We do not accept the law should be changed to allow the legal termination of human life, and believe society is better served by the sacrificial love exemplified and enjoined by Christ - whatever the cost.