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On Wednesday 16 October, the House of Commons will hear the first reading of a new bill on assisted suicide tabled by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater; the timing of the bill makes it very likely that MPs will have a vote on assisted suicide before Christmas this year. The bill is supported by a number of well-known figures but is not supported by the Church's teaching, which has always been consistent with regard to the dignity of human life.
Details of the bill have not yet been released, however, reports suggest it is likely to be similar to Lord Falconer’s assisted suicide Bill in the House of Lords - his seventh attempt to change the law on assisted suicide.
We are a praying Christian community with the legalisation of assisted suicide undermining the sanctity and dignity of human life. Speaking recently, Bishop John Sherrington, the lead Bishop for Life Issues for the Catholic Bishops in England and Wales, said:
“The Catholic Church accompanies those suffering and nearing the end of their lives with hope and affection, but also reminds them that their life is precious until the very last breath. In preparation for these challenging debates, let us offer our prayers for those facing the end of their lives, that they may receive the care and support they need to live their final days with respect for their dignity."
According to the NHS, assisted suicide is “the act of deliberately assisting another person to kill themselves” whilst euthanasia (which can be voluntary or non-voluntary) is “the act of deliberately ending a person’s life to relieve suffering”. Both assisted suicide and euthanasia are illegal in England and Wales.
The UK charity Right to Life reports that no doctors’ groups in the UK support changing the law to introduce assisted suicide or euthanasia, including the British Medical Association, the Royal College of General Practitioners, the Royal College of Physicians, the British Geriatric Society, and the Association for Palliative Medicine. They also highlight that "no major disability advocate group in the UK – including Disability Rights UK, Scope and Not Dead Yet – support a change in the law to introduce assisted suicide or euthanasia."
Polling commissioned by Scope shows that the majority of people with disabilities (64%) – including nearly three-quarters (72%) of young disabled people – are concerned about moves to legalise assisted suicide. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of people with disabilities who were concerned about a change in the law were worried that pressure would be put on disabled people to end their lives prematurely - Right to Life
Assisted suicide is legal in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, parts of the United States (the most well-known being Oregon) and almost all of Australia. Euthanasia is legal in Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and most Australian states. The experience of other countries illustrates the 'slippery slope' of assisted suicide legislation, with nations and states progressing towards a more wide ranging provision of assisted suicide over time:
>> Oregon in the United States now offers assisted suicide for non-terminal conditions including: Anorexia, Arthritis, and Kidney failure
>> Canada is legally and culturally very similar to England and Wales and now offers assisted suicide even when death is not “reasonably foreseeable”
>> Belgium expanded its provision of assisted suicide to include children in 2014; there is no minimum age requirement, but the law requires the child to have the ability to understand, with written consent provided the child's parents.
The Catholic Church teaches that life is a gift to be cherished and cared for at all stages until natural death and that it is morally wrong to intentionally end one’s own life or that of another person, including at their request.
Assisted suicide is inherently wrong; evidence from other countries shows that there can be no “safe” or limited assisted suicide law. The Catholic Church opposes the legalisation of assisted suicide out of concern for the good of every person in society. In practice, the legalisation of assisted suicide and euthanasia would endanger the lives of some of the most vulnerable members of our society.
Many people living with disabilities, suffering from progressive illnesses or approaching the end of their lives can be highly vulnerable and feel themselves to be a burden on their loved ones and the wider community. Evidence from countries in which assisted suicide has been legalised demonstrates that those who seek it often report a fear of burdening their loved ones with their suffering. In the words of Pope Francis, “the sick, the vulnerable and the poor are at the heart of the Church” and thus it is our duty to protect them. Legalising assisted suicide or euthanasia would also send a strong message that people who are suffering are less worthy than other members of our community.
We know from polling that public support for assisted suicide can depend on which term - "assisted suicide" or "assisted dying" is used. Replacing the word “suicide” with “dying” confuses the wrongful and intentional act of deliberately ending a life, with the natural process of dying - and implies that helping to deliberately end a person’s life is normal. True assisted dying means caring for those coming towards the end of their lives life with love, companionship and support. Similarly, calling assisted suicide "dignity in dying" - as campaigners for assisted suicide and euthanasia often do - implies that there is something undignified about living with severe disabilities or physical or psychological discomfort.
Assisted suicide typically involves the oral ingestion of a lethal dose of medication. In euthanasia, the medication is administered to the patient by a doctor or nurse. Research published in 2022 revealed that such medication can lead to various complications and sometimes fails to end life, leaving patients and their loved ones in a deeply distressing situation. Data on deaths from assisted suicide in the American state of Oregon has shown that complication rates have been close to 15%.
Around a third of deaths from assisted suicide in Oregon take over an hour.
Deaths by euthanasia through lethal injection can also involve complications, such as difficulties in performing the operation and protracted deaths. Given the difficulties in ensuring that patients remain unconscious during euthanasia, it has been argued that such deaths could be akin to drowning or suffocating without the patient having any means of communicating the agony.
Rather than the legalisation of assisted suicide and/or euthanasia, the Church strongly supports greater provision of high-quality specialist palliative care and hospice care for the sick and dying. Such care can comprise pain management, symptom relief, and holistic support for patients and their loved ones towards the end of life. The intention of such care is to cherish and care for the lives of those who are approaching their death - based on the belief that human life remains inherently dignified and valuable even in times of great physical or psychological suffering.
It is important to bear in mind that the introduction of assisted suicide and/or euthanasia may lead to a decline in investment in palliative and hospice care given that the provision of lethal medication is often a much cheaper option than life-affirming care.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England & Wales (CBCEW), charity Right to Life and The Centre for the Art of Dying Well have a range of informative and helpful resources on their websites:
> Assisted Suicide FAQs (CBCEW) - click here
> Right to Life Knowledge base on assisted suicide and euthanasia
> 10 Reasons to Oppose Assisted Suicide (CBCEW) - here
> Legislation on Assisted Dying: A Slippery Slope? A useful summary of the law in the UK and compared to the law in other countries.
> The Catholic Church's teaching on End of Life Issues (CBCEW )- here
> The importance of hospice care (CBCEW) - here
> The Art of Dying well website - practical and spiritual support for those faced with the prospect of death and dying.
