from The Christian Institute
Tomorrow, Friday 16 May, MPs will again debate Kim Leadbeater’s extremely dangerous assisted suicide Bill.
It is no overstatement to say this is a matter of life and death. Should this Bill become law, doctors would legally be permitted to help adults deemed to be terminally ill to kill themselves.
In November, MPs voted by 330 to 275 in favour of advancing the Bill to the next stage. Many felt there ought to be more scrutiny, or increased safeguards, and backed it at Second Reading for that reason.
But many of them will not be happy at the way the Committee has handled the proceedings. Hundreds of reasonable amendments to try to make the legislation less dangerous were rejected, and already limited safeguards were stripped away.
Only 28 MPs need to flip their vote in order to throw out the Bill. Many more than that are thought to be on the fence. Tomorrow’s debate will focus on considering amendments. MPs’ final vote is unlikely to take place until next month. It is imperative that, whenever that vote does come, MPs show up in numbers to defeat this terrible legislation.
There are many good reasons to oppose this Bill: the absence of safeguards, the scope for coercion, the inevitable expansion, the impact on palliative care services, and the pressure it places on vulnerable people to end their lives for fear of being a ‘burden’.
Most significantly, as Christians we also know the proposal breaches the Sixth Commandment and denies the value of every person as an individual made in the image of God.
People contemplating assisted suicide are at their most desperate. Tragically, they may believe they are better off dead. Such people need a clear, firm law to protect them in these darkest moments. The law should not affirm the belief that their lives are not worth living.
Please pray:
- That this dangerous Bill will be defeated;
- For many MPs of all parties to speak powerfully against it and win over wavering colleagues;
- For the Institute and other groups as we brief MPs on the Bill’s many problems;
- For fair mainstream media coverage of this life-and-death issue;
- That our society will recognise the dignity and value of all people made in God’s image.
Please do forward this email to friends and encourage them to pray about this issue too.
Yours in Christ,
Ciarán Kelly
Director
The Christian Institute