Catholic bishops in UK express dismay after Parliament passes assisted suicide bill 

London, England, Nov 29, 2024 / 12:20 pm

The Catholic bishops of England and Wales have expressed dismay after a historic vote today, Nov. 29, during which Members of Parliament (MPs) voted in favor of assisted suicide.

Following a five-hour, Second Reading debate in the House of Commons, 330 MPs voted in favor of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, while 275 voted against it. 

While this does not mean that assisted suicide is now law in England and Wales, it does mean the Bill will now progress to the next legislative stage. 

The last time MPs voted on the issue in 2015, the Bill was voted down at Second Reading and progressed no further.

Following the vote today, Bishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues, said that he hopes and prays the Bill might be rejected at a later stage in the legislative process.

In a statement released this afternoon, Sherrington said: “We are disappointed that MPs have voted in favor of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill progressing through Parliament. We believe that this bill is flawed in principle and also contains particular clauses that are of concern. We ask the Catholic community to pray that Members of Parliament will have the wisdom to reject this bill at a later stage in its progress.”

Sherrington said that bishops were particularly concerned about a lack of protection for conscientious objection. 

"In addition to being opposed to the principle of assisted suicide, we are particularly concerned with clauses in the bill that prevent doctors from properly exercising conscientious objection, provide inadequate protection to hospices and care homes that do not wish to participate in assisted suicide and allow doctors to initiate conversations about assisted suicide,” he said. “We ask that these voices be heard in the next stages of the Bill to strengthen the deep concerns about this proposed legislation."

The Bill would allow assisted suicide for people aged 18 and over, who are terminally ill and have a prognosis of six months or less.

Sherrington went on to say that real compassion involves supporting people at the end of their lives. 

“We have expressed the view, during this debate, that genuine compassion involves walking with those who need care, especially during sickness, disability, and old age,” he said. “The vocation to care is at the heart of the lives of so many people who look after their loved ones and is the sign of a truly compassionate society. It is essential that we nurture and renew the innate call that many people have to compassionately care for others."

Sherrington continued: “It remains the case that improving the quality and availability of palliative care offers the best pathway to reducing suffering at the end of life. We will continue to advocate for this and support those who work tirelessly to care for the dying in our hospices, hospitals and care homes.”

Meanwhile, pro-life campaigners have vowed not to give up. 

Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said: “This is just the first stage of a long journey through the Commons and then the Lords for this dangerous assisted suicide Bill. We are now going to redouble our efforts to ensure we fight this Bill at every stage and ensure that it is defeated to protect the most vulnerable.”

“A very large number of MPs spoke out against this extreme proposal in Parliament today. They made it clear that this dangerous and extreme change to our laws would put the vulnerable at risk and see the ending of many lives through assisted suicide,” Robinson said.