On Friday 20 June, Cardinal Vincent Nichols issued the following response after the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill passed its third reading in the House of Commons by just 23 votes:
‘The vote in the House of Commons in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is a watershed moment in the history of our country. It fundamentally changes society’s long held values and relationships on matters of life and death. Read more.
The Bishops of England and Wales have been consistent and outspoken in their opposition to the legalisation of assisted suicide, and we are shocked and disappointed that MPs have voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. This Bill is flawed in principle with several provisions that give us great cause for concern.
The Catholic Church believes in promoting a culture of life and compassionate care. Allowing the medical profession to help patients end their lives will change the culture of healthcare and cause legitimate fears amongst those with disabilities or who are especially vulnerable in other ways. Read more.
In a statement on the precarious situation facing care homes and hospices if the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill passes its Third Reading on Friday, 20 June, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, and Archbishop John Sherrington, Archbishop of Liverpool, said:
“We call attention to the fact that the future of many care homes and hospices will be put in grave doubt if the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill becomes law.
“Our Parliament has now rejected amendments that would have allowed such institutions not to be involved in assisted suicide. Minister Stephen Kinnock MP, Kim Leadbeater MP, as well as other MPs, indicated that the rights that this Bill will give to individuals to seek assisted suicide, and to employees to participate in an assisted suicide, are likely to trump the mission and values of institutions such as hospices and care homes.” Read more.
Archbishop John Sherrington, Lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has commented on MPs passing an amendment on the decriminalisation of abortion during the debate on the Crime and Policing Bill on Tuesday, 17 June. Read more.
The Day for Life Fund provides financial assistance each year to organisations working to support the Church’s mission to protect human life from conception to natural death. Find out more.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which seeks to legalise assisted suicide, is fast approaching its decisive vote in the House of Commons which will likely take place on 20 June. Read more.
The Lead Bishop for the Holy Land for the Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Jim Curry, has echoed Pope Leo XIV’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza:
“This is a humanitarian disaster. Desperately needed aid supplies must be allowed into Gaza to be urgently distributed to civilians. The human cost is intolerably high with tens of thousands of weary, regularly displaced people threatened with starvation. We need an immediate ceasefire to end the suffering.” Read more.
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