Retired Anglican Bishop Desmond Tutu has thrown his support behind Britain’s controversial aid-in-dying bill, highlighting the divide between Anglican leaders who support “Death with Dignity” legislation and others who argue it reduces the sanctity of life.

“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,” the Nobel peace laureate and anti-apartheid leader wrote in an editorial published in The Guardian. “I revere the sanctity of life — but not at any cost.”

Tutu, the 82-year-old archbishop emeritus of Cape Town, South Africa, acknowledged his own mortality in the editorial. “I have come to realize 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.” He was hospitalized last year for a persistent infection.

Tutu said he is closer to his end than to his beginning, and that death should not be taboo, since humans must “make way for those who are yet to be born.” He wishes to be buried in a modest wooden coffin with rope handles.

He further described former South African President Nelson Mandela’s end of life care as “disgraceful.”

“On Mandela Day we will be thinking of a great man,” he said. “On the same day, 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.”

Mandela, who was imprisoned 27 years for his anti-apartheid activity, became South Africa’s first black president in 1994. He died in December at 95, after facing a prolonged lung infection that left him incapacitated.

“What was done to Madiba (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,” Tutu added.

But not all bishops support aid-in-dying legislation, including the current Archbishop of Canterbury, putting Tutu at odds with church teaching.

Leaders of Britain’s major faiths issued a joint rebuttal to the bill, led by Lord Charles Falconer, calling it a “grave error” which would have a “serious detrimental effect” on society.

The Most Rev. Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, and the Rev. Martyn Atkins, general secretary of the Methodist Church, are among the 23 leaders who issued a direct plea to the British Parliament before the bill’s hearing.

“As leaders of faith communities, we wish to state our joint response to Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill,” according to the editorial published in The Telegraph. “We do so out of deep human concern that if enacted, this bill would have a serious detrimental effect on the well-being of individuals and on the nature and shape of our society.”

However, George Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, said it would not be “anti-Christian” to change the law on assisted dying, reflecting Tutu’s concerns about aggressive end of life treatments.

“Until recently, I would have fiercely opposed Lord Falconer’s Bill. My background in the Christian Church could hardly allow me to do otherwise,” he wrote in an editorial published in the Daily Mail. “Today we face a terrible paradox. In strictly observing accepted teaching about the sanctity of life, the Church could actually be sanctioning anguish and pain — the very opposite of the Christian message.”

On July 18, after nearly 10 hours of debate in the House of Lords, the bill progressed to committee. In 2006, a similar attempt to legalize assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults failed to progress this far.

According to the Assisted Dying Bill, a terminally ill adult with a life expectancy of less than six months may request life-ending drugs from his or her doctor. Prospective patients must be informed about palliative medicine and other end of life treatments, and self-administer the drugs. Adults facing Alzheimer’s and dementia, even if terminally ill, would not be eligible.

The Church of England operates similar to a confederation, with autonomous provinces around the world sharing a common tradition. Churches officially recognized as part of the Anglican Communion include the Episcopal Church of the United States, the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone of America and the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. It is the third largest Christian tradition.

The Very Rev. Matthew L. Buterbaugh of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Kenosha, Wis., told Life Matters Media churches in the Anglican Communion have a history of intense debate over social issues.

“It is interesting the former Archbishop of Canterbury supports it and the current one does not, and the one in the middle, Rowan Williams, has said nothing. I would be surprised if Britain did not go forward with the bill, given my understanding of English politics,” Buterbaugh said. The Archbishop of Canterbury is considered the first bishop among equals, and local provinces may disregard his opinions.

“The last time aid-in-dying was debated in the Episcopal Church was in the early 90s. We have an official policy saying we oppose it, but one of the overarching themes of Anglicanism, is that you will have lots of wiggle room,” he added. “I’ve been around a lot of people who’ve died, and in my own opinion, keeping people unnaturally alive for so long prolongs human suffering. In some cases, aid in dying could be a humane option.”