Archbishops add voices to growing concern over assisted dying

The battle over assisted dying will now move to the House of Lords

Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols and Archbishop of Southwark John Wilson added their voices to the growing concern over assisted dying after the Leadbeater Bill at its Third Reading passed by a significantly reduced margin of just 23 votes on Friday afternoon, 314 to 29, despite having passed its Second Reading with a 55-vote majority.

Cardinal Nichols described the vote in the House of Commons as “a watershed moment in the history of our country” that “fundamentally changes society’s long held values and relationships on matters of life and death”.

He continued, “The task is now clear: every effort must be made to limit the damage that will be done by this decision. This duty lies both on the House of Lords and on His Majesty’s Government. The list of challenges is long. It has been well rehearsed in recent weeks by responsible bodies and distinguished individuals, including the Public Commission on Palliative and End-of-Life Care whose recommendations have yet to be discussed.

“The appeal to personal autonomy, so much at the centre of the Parliamentary debate, cuts both ways: the provision of a choice to die cannot exclude the provision of properly resourced care for those who choose to live until a natural death.

“As Catholics we will continue to play our part in the building of the common good. The decision of Parliament does not change our firm belief in the sanctity of life, never simply a burden, but always a gift of God, given and received. Our duties are clear: to live by the teaching given to us by God; generously to accompany with care and compassion those facing disability, isolation and suffering; to continue to put forward, with respect and clarity, the objective norms that inform our firm beliefs on how to live, and to die, well.”

Archbishop Wilson described last week as “a terrifyingly dark week in British history, as MPs vote for legislation which endangers the lives of unborn children, and promote legislation which will endanger vulnerable adults and the elderly. All those who stand on the side on the side of life, and who uphold the dignity of human life from conception to natural death, need to raise their voice in defence of those who are voiceless. Irrespective of religious belief this is a matter of basic justice for every human life. 

“As followers of the Lord Jesus, we are a people of life. Jesus is our hope and in his name we will tirelessly make the case for the defence of human life. Life is sacred. It is a gift from God and we must never be afraid to speak this truth.” 

He urged continued support for Right to Life’s campaign to oppose the legislation.

Bishop of Paisley John Keenan described the outcome as “a devastating result”. Bishop Keenan said that the decision to progress the bill moved society “one step closer to the establishment of state facilitated suicide”, adding that there was “no dignity in handing a lethal concoction of drugs to a vulnerable person to help them kill themselves”. He thanked those who had made representations to MPs and those MPs who had opposed the bill, committing the Church to offering “unwavering commitment to the poorest and most vulnerable. We will never abandon you.”

Professor David Jones, director of the Anscombe Centre, said the “encouragement of suicide” violated the right to life of people with serious illness and contradicted the principles of care on which the NHS and hospice movement were founded.

“In other countries we see clearly how such laws create a culture where people are encouraged to think of themselves as a burden to society,” he said. “The passing of this insidious Bill at Third Reading is an existential threat to people with a disability, people in coercive relationships, and people who suffer from mental illness.“ ”

He called on the government to acknowledge the many voices who remain deeply concerned about the way the Bill was rushed through.

“We see from Canada and Australia how, even before the ink is dry, attempts are made to expand the practice and the law in the name of increasing ‘access’. We see how death becomes therapy. Where such expansion has been resisted or even partially reversed, this is only through the efforts of people of good will who continue to ‘call out’ the harmful character of these practices.”

Robert Clarke, director of advocacy for ADF International, said the vote was a “grave and chilling development for the United Kingdom”.

Parliament has signalled its willingness to cross a dangerous moral line: allowing the intentional ending of life as a form of healthcare, he added. “When the state begins to endorse death as a solution to suffering, the most vulnerable – those who are elderly, disabled, depressed, or alone – will soon find themselves wondering if their lives are still worth living, or worse, if they’re expected to die.

“The consequences of this decision will echo far beyond the chamber walls. It opens the door to coercion, and to lives cut short out of fear, despair, or pressure. No safeguard can undo the message this bill sends: that some lives are no longer worth protecting. At every stage, support for the bill has dropped and this narrow vote underscores the growing concern with this deeply flawed bill.

“Parliament has fundamentally failed to protect the country from a descent into a culture of death. As the bill moves forward, we urge the House of Lords to listen to the voices of doctors, disability advocates, and families who know that real compassion means care, not killing. A society that values life must have the courage to say no to assisted suicide.”

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