Assisted dying ‘puts vulnerable people at risk’, Starmer warned

UK church and pro-life leaders have warned Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer that plans to introduce assisted dying will put vulnerable people at risk.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater is proposing a Bill which would give terminally ill people in England and Wales the right to end their life. The issue was last voted on in 2015, when MPs roundly rejected assisted dying, with 118 votes for and 330 against. The Bill will be introduced next week.

Bishop John Sherrington, lead bishop for life issues for the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, pointed to places where euthanasia has been legalised, such as Canada and Oregon, as a warning sign.

He said: “There is now ample evidence across the world that the legalisation of assisted suicide puts the most vulnerable members of society at risk.

“The legalisation of assisted suicide undermines the sanctity and dignity of human life. 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.”

Baroness Hollins, president of the Catholic Union, urged people to write to MPs with their views. “MPs will have a free vote and so will be interested to hear what you have to say. The government themselves have stated that social care, the NHS, social benefits for carers are not fit for purpose. Hospices and palliative care are massively underfunded too. Aside from any other factors in such circumstances it seems to me the wrong time to introduce such a bill before reform and resources are addressed,” she said in a letter to supporters. “MPs will have a free vote and so will be interested to hear what you have to say. The government themselves have stated that social care, the NHS, social benefits for carers are not fit for purpose. Hospices and palliative care are massively underfunded too. Aside from any other factors in such circumstances it seems to me the wrong time to introduce such a bill before reform and resources are addressed.”

Starmer, who personally supports a change in the law, has previously said he would give MPs a free vote on the issue, but Catholic peer Lord Alton warned of “floodgates” opening if the law is passed.

He said: “Before the UK Parliament opens the euthanasia floodgates, it should first dispassionately consider outcomes in jurisdictions that have ditched protection of the vulnerable with ineffective safeguards. MPs should put their energy into better palliative care.”

Lord Alton was referring to Holland, where euthanasia has been legal since 2002. Twenty-four confirmed cases of euthanasia have taken place where the individuals concerned were diagnosed with autism or having a learning disability. Lord Alton called for “more hospice care at home and an ethos which upholds human dignity and the sanctity of life”.

Leadbeater said “now is the time” to vote on the issue, but pro-life group Right To Life UK dismissed the plans as a “disaster in waiting”. Spokesperson Catherine Robinson said: “Making assisted dying legal poses an acute threat to vulnerable people, especially in the context of a struggling healthcare system. The UK needs properly funded high-quality palliative care for those at the end of their life, not assisted dying.”

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