Bishop calls British move to legalize suicide ‘a very dark day’

LEICESTER, United Kingdom – After the British Parliament voted in favor of a bill to legalize assisted suicide, Bishop Patrick McKinney of Nottingham said it would be a “devastating law.”

On Friday, Parliament approved Labor MP Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill (End of Life) Bill by a majority of 330 votes to 275 against. Although new Prime Minister Keir Starmer supported the legalization of assisted suicide, he offered members of Parliament a “free vote” on the issue, and members of all major parties were divided on the issue.

Passing the bill is only the first step in the House of Commons and it will take several months before it can be passed.

“This is a very dark day in the history of our country,” McKinney said.

“Let us be completely clear about the situation we face; “assuming this bill eventually comes into force, a person as young as 18, seriously ill and judged to have less than six months to live will be eligible for assisted suicide on the NHS,” the bishop said in a statement. statement.

“Based on the experience of other jurisdictions that have adopted similar laws, I have no doubt that this is not just about changing the law; We will soon witness devastating changes in our culture and society. The fundamental principle that we do not engage in causing the death of others will be reserved for those who are strong and healthy, while seriously ill and vulnerable people will no longer enjoy such protection,” he added.

McKinney added that given the “seriousness of this bill,” he hopes and prays that as it passes there will be further opportunity for deep and critical reflection on the part of society as a whole, “rather than continuing to rush through this highly controversial proposal.” “

“In the meantime, I encourage you to pray for the dying, pray for those who care for them, and especially for those who may currently be considering assisted suicide due to unjustified feelings of guilt or external coercion,” he said.

“May God protect them all and may those who care for them – despite the prospect of such devastating legislation – continue to provide the dying with care and compassion, not state-sanctioned lethal prescriptions,” the Bishop of Nottingham said.

Politicians supporting the bill say it would include strict restrictions, limiting assisted suicide to people who die from the disease within six months, and put in place safeguards to protect patients.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide are currently illegal under English, Welsh and Northern Irish law and are considered manslaughter or murder. There is no specific legislation in Scotland, but people who are involved in murder can be prosecuted for murder.

Lord David Alton of Liverpool, a Catholic member of the House of Lords, said he would support the Care of People with Disabilities Act but opposed a bill “that focuses on taking lives – which will endanger the lives of vulnerable people and lead to the incrementalism that similar laws have led to.” elsewhere.”

In a statement before the vote in the House of Commons, Alton said some of the proposed “safeguards” in the bill were questioned.

“One of Britain’s most distinguished retired judges and former head of the Family Division of the High Court has sharply criticized the Assisted Suicide Act, labeling it ‘flawed’ and claiming it is not the ‘proper function’ of a judge to decide whether a person is eligible for assisted suicide.” he said.

“Senior doctors also noted the arbitrary and subjective nature of the bill’s requirement that the patient had only six months to live,” Alton added.

He noted that studies show that more than half of patients who were expected to die within six months to a year survive those expectations. Based on responses from more than 25,000 doctors, the results showed that in 6,495 cases where a doctor assumed a patient was likely to die at any time in the next 12 months, the assumption was incorrect more than 54% of the time.

Bishop John Sherrington, Chief Bishop for Life of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said Catholic leaders were “disappointed” with the passage of the bill.

“We believe the bill is fundamentally flawed and also contains specific clauses of concern. We ask the Catholic community to pray that parliamentarians will show wisdom and reject this bill at a later stage of its work,” he said.

“In addition to opposing the principle of assisted suicide, we are particularly concerned about provisions in the bill that prevent physicians from properly exercising the conscience clause, provide insufficient protection for hospices and nursing homes that do not wish to participate in assisted suicide, and allow physicians to initiate conversations about assisted suicide.” Sherrington said.

He said that the Episcopal Conference asks to hear voices regarding these “serious concerns” at the next stages of work on the bill.

“During this debate, we expressed the view that true compassion is about walking with those who need care, especially in sickness, disability and old age. The calling to care lies at the heart of the lives of so many people who care for their loved ones and is the mark of a truly compassionate society. “It is essential that we nurture and renew the innate vocation of many people to compassion and care for others,” the bishop said.

“This does not change the fact that improving the quality and availability of palliative care is the best way to reduce suffering at the end of life. We will continue to support this and support those who work tirelessly to care for the dying in our hospices, hospitals and care homes,” Sherrington said.

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