Following the British Parliament voting in favour of a bill to legalise assisted suicide, the Bishop of Nottingham said it would be “a devastating law”, especially for the sick and vulnerable of society. Source: Catholic Herald.
On Friday, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was approved by the Parliament by a vote of 330 in favour to 275 against.
Although Prime Minister Keir Starmer supported legalising assisted suicide, he offered members of Parliament a “free vote” on the issue, and members of all the major parties were split on the issue.
The bill passing is only the first stage in the House of Commons, and it will be months before it can be passed into law.
“This marks a very bleak day in our country’s history,” Nottingham Bishop Patrick McKinney said.
“Let’s be totally clear about the situation we now face; presuming this bill will eventually become law, somebody as young as 18 years old, who is seriously sick and who is judged to have less than six months to live, will be eligible for an assisted suicide on the [National Health Service],” the bishop said in a statement.
“Based on the experience of other jurisdictions who have passed a similar law, I have no doubt that this is not merely about changing the law; we are about to witness a devastating shift in our culture and society.
“The fundamental principle that we do not involve ourselves in bringing about the deaths of others will be reserved for those who are strong and healthy, while people who are seriously ill and vulnerable will no longer be afforded such protection,” he said.
Bishop McKinney added that given “the gravity of this bill”, he hopes and prays that there will be further opportunity during its passage for deep and critical reflection on the part of all of our society, “rather than this highly controversial proposal continuing to be rushed through”.
“In the meantime, I urge you to pray for the dying, pray for those who care for them, and pray especially for those people who may now be contemplating assisted suicide due to misplaced guilt or external coercion,” he said.
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‘May God protect them all’: Bishop says British move to legalise suicide ushers in ‘a devastating law’ for the sick and vulnerable (By Charles Collins, Catholic Herald)
