UK bishops urge to continue raising voices against assisted suicide bill

The bishops of England and Wales continue to urge Catholics to “raise their voices” in opposition to an assisted suicide bill, the text of which was published earlier this week.

Late on November 11, Labor MP Kim Leadbeater published her terminally ill adults bill (end of life). Parliament is due to vote on it on November 29, meaning members have less than three weeks to prepare to vote on a controversial issue.

The Archbishop of Southwark, Bishop John Wilson, said: “As followers of the Lord Jesus, we must be bold in our efforts to defend, respect and protect all human life from conception to natural death, because if we do not stand up and We value the dignity of human life, who will?”

“The Catholic Church is clear: every life is valuable, regardless of a person’s physical or mental state,” he continued.

The archbishop’s words come after it was learned that Leadbeater’s bill proposes that terminally ill adults – whose life expectancy is six months – can seek legal help to commit suicide, as long as they receive approval from two doctors and a judge.

In that sense, Bishop Wilson is concerned that the new bill sends the message that the elderly and vulnerable are “nothing more than a burden on society.”

“It’s presented to people as a problem,” he said. “Like a burden. A statistic. Something we can deal with by ending their lives. Where is the dignity in that? Where is the love in that?”

In response to those who say that “life has no value,” he said: “We need to raise our voices to say that is not true. We are stewards, not owners, of the life we ​​have received. Life is not ours to dispose of.” she”.

Leadbeater insisted his bill contained “robust” safeguards, stating that coercion would lead to 14 years in prison, but Bishop Wilson believes the pressure on sick and vulnerable people to opt for assisted suicide would be “immeasurable”.

“The pressure this would put on people suffering from illness or disability is immeasurable. It degrades humanity and deprives people of their right to life. “This right is given by God and only God can take it,” he noted.

The archbishop encouraged Catholics in the United Kingdom to contact their representatives in Parliament and pray for the defeat of the bill, in obedience to their calling as disciples of Christ.

“As followers of Christ we must do everything possible to support and protect the most vulnerable in our society,” he added.

The archbishop reiterated his call for Catholics to act. “Together, let us demonstrate that we will not stand by while the elderly and people with illnesses and disabilities are treated as if they were a burden on society or their families. Let us be clear in the sense that they are made in the image and likeness of God,” he said.

Bishop Wilson noted that, under the new bill, “assisted suicide… will radically change the way our health professionals care for us.”

British Catholic doctor Dermot Kearney commented that “most (doctors) still believe that the principle of doing no harm to patients is essential to the provision of genuine health care.”

Therefore, he told EWTN News’ CNA that a better way to address end-of-life care would be to “improve and expand the palliative care and hospice services that already exist but have been severely underfunded for years.” “so long.”

For his part, the Bishop of Nottingham, Bishop Patrick McKinney, supported Archbishop Wilson’s words, focusing on the social context of the introduction of the bill.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who has confirmed his opposition to the bill, has admitted that the UK’s National Health Service is “broken”.

Palliative care services are also in crisis, while many older people have seen the government scrap their winter fuel payment.

Following the publication of the bill, Bishop McKinney shared his concerns, saying: “Catholics can never support assisted suicide, but our social context makes this bill even more alarming: an NHS at (its) breaking point. bankruptcy, inadequate social care provision, access to palliative care is patchy and underfunded, (and) winter fuel payments have been withdrawn for many.”

Archbishop of Southwark urged UK Catholics to use website Right to Life UK to contact their Members of Parliament and express their opposition to assisted suicide.

Translated and adapted by the ACI Prensa team. Originally published in CNA.