England's most senior Catholic bishop has urged churchgoers to support their MPs against proposed changes to the dying law. England and Wales is warning people: “Be careful what you wish for”.
In a letter to be read in churches in his diocese, Cardinal Vincent Nicholls said the proposed changes risked “a slow shift from a duty to care to a duty to kill” for medical professionals.
Labor MP Kim Leadbeater will formally introduce a private member's bill on the issue in the House of Commons on Wednesday. MPs will vote on the issue in the second reading of the bill on November 29.
Nicholls' letter says that in countries where assisted dying has been legalized, the circumstances in which it is permitted have “broadened and broadened”.
He said changing the law would put pressure on those near death to end their lives.
“The drastic change in legislation now proposed carries the risks of a slow transition for all medical professionals,” he added.
The Archbishop of Westminster continued: “A man's suffering is not meaningless. It does not undermine that dignity. It is an intrinsic part of our human journey, a journey embraced by God's eternal Word, Christ Jesus. It is precisely through the gateway of suffering and death that He brings our humanity to its full glory.
Leadbeater said the current law on assisted dying was “not fit for purpose”, with campaigners branding it “incredibly cruel”.
Earlier this year, before he became prime minister, Keir Starmer said he was in favor of changing the law. He promised TV presenter Esther Rantsen, who has terminal lung cancer and has been campaigning on the issue, that if she becomes prime minister, she will ensure time in Parliament to debate the issue and allow a free vote. Starmer kept that promise after his election victory in July.
Those in favor of changing the law say people who are ill or in severe pain should be allowed to die with dignity at the time of their choosing.
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Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said earlier this year: “Assisted dying is a movement whose time has come. The Prime Minister has doubled down on her promise to make time for this debate, and the dying people will hold her to account; They simply do not have time to wait. We are on the brink of historic change across the British Isles as reform approaches in the Isle of Man, Jersey and Scotland.
Under current law, assisting someone to end their life is a criminal offense in England and Wales with a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. In Scotland, steps are underway to legalize assisted dying in the Isle of Man and Jersey.
This is the first time the topic has been debated in Parliament since 2015, when an assisted dying bill was defeated.
