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The issue of assisted suicide - which is strongly opposed by the Catholic Church - will return to the Houses of Parliament, following the failure of MP Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to make it through the necessary legislative stages in time to become law. In an announcement on 14 June, Labour MP Lauren Edwards confirmed that she would be bringing back the Bill (unchanged), despite significant concerns raised by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, disability charities, hospices, and a range of churches and religious groups.

According to the definition currently provided by the NHS, assisted suicide (referred to in this Bill as “assisted dying”), is “the act of deliberately assisting another person to kill themselves.” The Catholic Church promotes a culture of life and compassionate care; in a joint statement, issued when the Bill was first proposed, the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales said:

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“Life is a gift to be protected, especially when threatened by sickness and death. Palliative care, with expert pain relief, and good human, spiritual, and pastoral support, is the right and best way to care for people towards the end of life…

“We are alarmed by the impact that this legalisation will have on the most vulnerable members of our society. The option to end life can quickly, and subtly, be experienced as a duty to die. Some may well feel their continued existence is a burden to others, and, implicitly or explicitly, be pressured into assisted suicide. This includes people who are elderly, infirm, and living with disabilities. The protection of such people is the foundation of civilised society. It is at the heart of good government.”

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Disability rights group Not Dead Yet UK has been vocal in its opposition to the Bill: “You cannot offer assisted dying as a genuine choice when palliative care is underfunded, social care is in crisis, and disabled people face constant cuts to their independence and support,” they said.

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“Peers from across the political spectrum - including disabled peers and medical and legal professionals [have] identified serious risks to vulnerable and disabled people. Risks of coercion. Risks from inadequate safeguards. Risks rooted in a social care and palliative care system that is nowhere near good enough… Some [of the Bill’s supporters] are already talking about using the Parliament Act, a constitutional mechanism that would allow the Commons to bypass the [House of] Lords entirely… the fact it's being floated at all signals how determined supporters are to get this [Bill] through.”

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Members of Parliament will debate and vote on the Assisted Dying Bill, on Friday 11 September. To register your opposition, please contact your MP - even if you have already written to them about this issue before. Charity Right to Life has a quick and easy way to do this >>here.