Bishop James Curry, an Auxiliary Bishop for the Diocese of Westminster, has spoken about the reintroduction of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill that will have its Second Reading and vote in the House of Commons on Friday, 11 September.
“The hospice movement, which the Catholic Church has always supported, ensures that if someone is in pain or is suffering, they are cared for while they are dying,” said Bishop Curry in a video message. “There’s a difference between taking someone’s life – which can surely never be right – and caring for someone while they’re dying.”
Bishop Curry would not want a person who is dying to be considered a burden on their family.
“Some people feel that they’d be better off if the world was without them… [people shouldn’t] feel that they’ve been driven to make that kind of decision. Surely this isn’t the way we want to care for people.
“We want to have a society that assumes that we care for people and accompany them rather than treat them as a burden. Nobody wants to see a person suffer, but surely with the advances in medical care, we can allow someone to die with dignity – being accompanied, without pain. The Church has never said that we have to go to extraordinary means to keep someone alive.”
The bishop suggests that the real ‘choice’ in one’s final days and weeks, should be how we are cared for and accompanied.
“If people are dying, they should be allowed to die naturally in a dignified way, not having to make a choice about living or dying,” said Bishop Curry. “When does the right to die become the duty to die? If we start down this road, we are beginning to create a society that assumes that care is not the primary function of our health service.”
You can watch the Bishop Curry’s message at the top of this page.
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.
