British bishop urges respect for life as Parliament prepares to debate assisted suicide

LEICESTER, United Kingdom – A Catholic bishop in England is warning that the legalization of assisted suicide “undermines the sanctity and dignity of human life.”

Britain’s Parliament returns next week, and the “Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill” – which seeks to legalize assisted suicide – will be discussed in the House of Lords.

Euthanasia and assisted suicide are illegal under English, Welsh, and Northern Irish law and is considered manslaughter or murder. In Scotland, there is no specific legislation on the particular issue, but people can be prosecuted for murder if they are involved.

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer became Prime Minister after the July 4 election, and he said late last year there here are “grounds for changing the law” on assisted dying.

The last attempt to legalize assisted suicide in the UK was defeated in Parliament in 2015, but Starmer had backed the bill.

The sponsor of the newest bill, Lord Charlie Falconer, said the proposed law is not about people who are suffering from any sort of condition that is not going to end their life within the next six months.

“We have to do something about the law because if you want to take your own life because you are terminally ill, you’ve either got to do it yourself without any help, or you’ve got to go to Switzerland and do it earlier than you might otherwise have to, in alien surroundings maybe without those that you love,” he said.

Bishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, is encouraging Catholics to unite in prayer and compassionate action as Parliament prepares to renew the debate around assisted suicide.

“I wish to reaffirm that the Catholic Church has always been opposed to assisted suicide in every circumstance. The legalization of assisted suicide undermines the sanctity and dignity of human life. There is also now ample evidence across the world that the legalization of assisted suicide puts the most vulnerable members of society at risk,” he said.

Actress and disability advocate Liz Carr, best known for her role in the TV series Silent Witness, said the proposed law is “terrifying.” In May, she hosted the BBC documentary Better Off Dead?

At the age of seven, Carr was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition which “changed her life” and put her in a wheelchair since the age of 14. Diary entries from when she was 12 show Carr wrote she “wanted to die rather than carry on, as she couldn’t see any good in the future.”

Carr said she fears that if assisted dying was an option to her when she was going through these struggles, she may have ended her life.

“I just didn’t have any memory of actually saying I had wanted to die, and a frightening thing for me would be is if that was possible,” she said.

Carr – who was also in Good Omens, The Witcher and Loki – said assisted dying creates a two-tiered system.

“If a non-disabled wants to commit suicide, it’s a tragedy. As soon as a disabled person does, it’s a release,” she said.

As for Falconer’s assurances that the law would only apply for people who would die of natural causes within six months, Carr visited Canada in her documentary to such “safeguards” can quickly expand to non-dying people.

“Apart from the fact I don’t have the desire, I think probably I would be eligible [for assisted dying] under Canadian law,” she said.

Catherine Robinson, the spokesperson for Right To Life UK, said Carr made a valid point.

“Liz Carr is absolutely right to point to other jurisdictions such as Canada that show how assisted suicide and euthanasia legislation quickly expands beyond its original limits,” she said.

“A 2023 survey in Canada showed that 50 percent agreed that ‘disability’ should be a reason for euthanasia, with that figure rising to 60 percent for 18-34 year olds,” Robinson said.

“Cultural attitudes towards disability like this are especially alarming and we would be naive to think that they couldn’t exist here,” she added.

Right To Life UK also pointed to a 2021 study in Ireland found that almost three-quarters of people over 50 who had previously expressed a wish to die no longer had that desire two years later.

Sherrington said the Catholic Church accompanies those suffering and nearing the end of their lives “with hope and affection, but also reminds them that their life is precious until the very last breath.”

“This is the work that hospices and other healthcare institutions and hundreds of thousands of individual carers undertake every day, helping the terminally ill and dying to leave this world whilst preserving their dignity. They truly provide assistance to those who are dying,” the English bishop said.

“In preparation for these challenging debates [in Parliament], let us offer our prayers for those facing the end of their lives, that they may receive the care and support they need to live their final days with respect for their dignity. Let us also pray for our politicians and our country that wisdom and compassion may guide their decisions. I also urge all Catholics to become better informed about the serious problems associated with the legalization of assisted suicide,” the he added.

Follow Charles Collins on X: @CharlesinRome