Archbishop Richard Moth, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales said:
“I urge Members of Parliament to reject The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill which aims to legalise assisted suicide as it returns to the House of Commons tomorrow, 11 September. This bill is wrong in principle and is also deeply flawed. If passed, it could lead to vulnerable people feeling pressured into ending their lives.
“Concerns that have been raised around the practicalities of the Bill remain unresolved. The Bill undermines freedom of conscience for medical professionals and care workers.
“Many professional bodies argued against this Bill, including the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Physicians. Disability rights groups remain highly concerned and consider it to be dangerous.
“The inadequate and uneven provision of palliative care across the country has been recognised during this debate, even by the prime minister. To genuinely help the terminally ill we need an improvement in compassionate, high-quality palliative care, and proper hospice funding.
“I urge MPs to prevent this flawed bill from succeeding.”
Archbishop Richard Moth
President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
Archbishop of Westminster
Suggested parish newsletter text, resources such as A4 printable posters with QR codes and more can be found by visiting our dedicated section ‘Oppose Assisted Suicide’ on the Bishops’ Conference website.
You can also use this form to contact your MP to ask that they oppose assisted suicide on Friday, 11 September. Any issues with this form, please visit the Right to Life UK website.
