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As the the House of Commons prepares for a crucial vote on a pro-assisted suicide bill, the lead bishop for Life Issues for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) is urging Catholics and all people of goodwill to contact their members of Parliament to vote against the bill.
The United Kingdom’s Catholic bishops have spoken out against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill since last year. The bill is set to be voted on once again either June 13 or June 20.
Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool issued a June 5 statement reiterating that the CBCEW opposes “this flawed bill both in principle and in practice” and that the bill involves many causes for concern.
Especially concerning is that the bill would mandate “many hospices and care homes to facilitate assisted suicide.”
“This will put in jeopardy their ability to provide care,” Archbishop Sherrington explained.
Parliament rejected an amendment to the bill to give care facilities the ability to opt out of the deadly practice.
“The provisions for conscientious objection for health and social care workers are both unclear and inadequate,” the archbishop added, warning that proposed amendments do not engage with this issue.
Finally, Archbishop Sherrington said, “Safeguards against coercion for the most vulnerable are wholly inadequate, particularly in cases involving coercive control or social pressure.”
The archbishop stated that in the Committee Stage, MP Kim Leadbeater, who is spearheading the bill, could not state whether people requesting assisted suicide because they feel like a burden or because of financial concerns would be protected from assisted suicide.
“Since then, no progress has been made, and many MPs consider the existing safeguards insufficient, with the potential to result in a ‘terrible tragedy,’” the archbishop added.
He pointed out that many associations and professional groups, such as the Royal College of Psychiatrists — who would be expected to be a part of the assisted suicide eligibility evalutations — have opposed the bill.
In November, the UK’s Catholic bishops criticized how little time was allowed for debate of the bill — five hours — saying that such time was “woefully inadequate.”
Archbishop Sherrington said in his June 5 statement that the upcoming debates on the bill’s almost 60 pages of amendments are allotted less than 15 hours.
“The whole process by which this bill has been brought forward and debated is insufficient for such a radical change,” he said. “We urge Catholics, and all people of goodwill, to contact their MP and ask them to vote against this bill. We also ask you to pray that our representatives choose to protect the most vulnerable citizens of this country when they vote later this month.”