From Vaticannews · Vatican News · · 1m 40s
Catholic bishops move to sink the assisted dying bill
Three bishops in England and Wales are urging MPs to kill a bill they say leaves the vulnerable unprotected.
In brief
Three bishops in England and Wales are urging MPs to kill a bill they say leaves the vulnerable unprotected. The bishops' case is not only theological. They argue the bill's safeguards fail on their own terms, and medical bodies share that worry. Originally reported by Vaticannews.
The bill is back
The Commons votes on assisted dying at second reading on 11 September. Lauren Edwards introduced it in June, nearly identical to the Leadbeater bill that died in the Lords in April after about 1,200 amendments.
Flawed and dangerous
Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, the lead bishop for life issues, opposes the bill in principle and in practice. The Church has put a form online so people can email their MP against it.
“flawed and dangerous”
Who the safeguards miss
Sherrington says the bill does not guard against coercion of disabled people, those with eating disorders, or domestic abuse victims. The Royal College of Psychiatrists and the BMA share the concern.
“It is wrong in principle that medical professionals should be involved in ending the lives of their patients”
No opt-out for hospices
Conscientious objection is weakly protected, and hospices and care homes get no institutional opt-out. Sherrington also points to other countries where legalisation slowed the growth of palliative care.
The mission creep problem
Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth warns eligibility never stays put: the mentally ill, people with dementia or depression, sick babies, the disabled. He notes over 5% of deaths in Canada are now by lethal injection.
“No government in the world can stop this.”
A bad bill, morals aside
Bishop Stephen Wright of Hexham and Newcastle grounds his objection in God-given dignity, then sets that aside and argues the bill fails on drafting alone.
“This Bill is not necessary and it is wrong.”
The key point
The bishops' case is not only theological. They argue the bill's safeguards fail on their own terms, and medical bodies share that worry.
