Religious leaders reject assisted dying law
Letter to peers warns that vulnerable people will be made more so and urges better palliative care
ASSISTED suicide plans threaten the “precious gift of life” and must instead be replaced by better palliative care, the Archbishop of Canterbury has said in joint letter with religious leaders.
In a letter to peers, Archbishop Justin Welby, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, who is president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, and the Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, have spoken out regarding their “profound disquiet” over the Assisted Dying Bill.
The Assisted Dying Bill, tabled by Baroness Meacher, would allow terminally ill adults to legally seek assistance to end their lives, and will have its second reading in Parliament tomorrow.
If passed, it will enable adults who are of sound mind and have six months or less to live to be provided with life-ending medication with the approval of two doctors and a High Court judge.
Campaigners against the proposed law change are worried that it could leave some patients vulnerable to coercion, while those in favour of the Bill say it will give the terminally ill greater control of how and when they die.
However, for the first time major faith leaders have come together to warn peers of the risk to “vulnerable people”, should the Bill be passed.
The letter said that the three religious leaders were writing “to express our profound disquiet” at the Bill, claiming there are “real-life” practical inadequacies regarding its proposed safeguards.
They appeal for people of all faiths, and none, to join with them through the “common bond of humanity” in caring for the most vulnerable in society.
“We acknowledge that Baroness Meacher is seeking the alleviation of suffering,” they said, adding: “This motivation we share wholeheartedly, but we disagree on the means advanced to address this very real concern.”
The letter continued: “By the faiths we profess, we hold every human life to be a precious gift of the Creator, to be upheld and protected. All people of faith, and those of none, can share our concern that the common good is not served by policies or actions that would place very many vulnerable people in more vulnerable positions.
“In contrast to the proposals in this Bill, we continue to call for measures to make high-quality palliative care available to all at the end of their lives.
“We believe that the aim of a compassionate society should be assisted living rather than an acceptance of assisted suicide.”
The open letter marks the first joint intervention of the three faith leaders as the Meacher Bill goes through the House of Lords.
In 2015 the trio came together, with more than 20 other religious leaders, to warn that “vulnerable people would be placed at risk” in an open letter to MPS as the Assisted Dying (No 2) Bill was set to be debated in the House of Commons.
The intervention comes after the British Medical Association, the biggest union of doctors, dropped its opposition to assisted dying last month and adopted a neutral stance.