The bishops of the diocese have written to clergy and Readers about the Terminally Ill (End of Life) Bill, now before Parliament, unequivocally expressing their concerns about the Bill and setting out an alternative:
“No one wants to see others experiencing great pain, but the choice is not between unbearable suffering or assisted suicide.”
The bishops advocate “Instead of ending life because it has become intolerable, we would urge greater investment in palliative care to make the end of life not only tolerable but to allow for all a “good death”. Effective and well-funded palliative care offers a way of allowing those we love to die peacefully when the time comes.”
If passed, the Bill would “allow adults who are terminally ill, subject to safeguards and protections, to request and be provided with assistance to end their own life”. The provision will be restricted to mentally competent adults assessed as having six months or less to live.
The bishops ask the ministers of the diocese:
- To help their congregations to ponder the issues it raises in teaching and preaching
- To be assured of their prayers and support as ministers wrestle with these issues.
- If they share their viewpoint, to consider writing to their own MP, with the assurance of prayers and setting out their concerns.
The bishops argue: “The complex debate surrounding assisted suicide brings questions about suffering and death, individual rights and the good of wider society, and what it means to live a dignified human life. For many of us, it will touch on painful personal experiences of seeing those we love suffer at the end of life. For those of us in pastoral ministry, we will find ourselves in challenging conversations on these matters with grieving relatives and those who are dying.”
Acknowledging that advocates for assisted suicide are motivated by compassion and a desire to see suffering alleviated, and the differing views amongst Christians, the bishops recall that The General Synod of the Church of England has twice debated assisted suicide in recent years (2012 and 2022) and, by a large majority, opposed any change to the current law.
Starting with the affirmation that all human life is a gift of God – ‘the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away’ the bishops state: “Every human life is sacred and precious, and this cannot be diminished by adverse circumstance or the will of others. This is intrinsic to who we are, and our dignity as human beings, made in the image of God, cannot be taken from us, even by the most terrible suffering.”
“Our fear is that a society in which some lives are deemed “not worth living” becomes a perilous place for the most vulnerable amongst us", they reason.
They continue: “In a secular culture, theological arguments will not convince everyone, but we make common cause with the widely shared concern that a change to the current law will put the vulnerable at great risk. In this, we stand with groups representing older people or those with disabilities. In some cases, the sick and elderly will feel as though they have become a “burden” to family or society and that they should therefore seek an assisted suicide. Sadly, some will be subject to direct coercion or subtle pressure. The danger is we move from those who are terminally ill understanding that they can take their own life to believing they ought to do so.”
The message was signed by Bishops Matthew Parker, Paul Thomas, Sarah Bullock and Tim Wambunya - Bishop Michael being away on sabbatical.