Christians join other faith leaders to oppose assisted suicide

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The Bishop of London and Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster are among the signatories of a joint statement by faith leaders urging MPs not to pass a bill legalising assisted suicide.

Kim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill has prompted national debate on the issue ahead of a debate in Parliament on Friday. She has claimed her bill would prevent abuse by implementing the "strictest safeguards anywhere in the world", which include requests for assisted suicide being signed off by two doctors and a judge.

Critics are unpersuaded by the promise of safeguards, and the letter from the faith leaders warns that a "right to die" may "all too easily" become a "duty to die" for vulnerable people.

They call instead for efforts to be focused on raising the quality and availability of palliative care, which they say is "worryingly underfunded".

"Part of the role of faith leaders in communities is to provide spiritual and pastoral care for the sick and for the dying. We hold the hands of loved ones in their final days, we pray with families both before and after death. It is to this vocation that we have been called, and it is from this vocation that we write," the letter reads.

"Our pastoral roles make us deeply concerned about the impact the bill would have on the most vulnerable, opening up the possibility of life-threatening abuse and coercion. This is a concern we know is shared by many people, with and without faith."

The letter was published in The Observer newspaper over the weekend and signed by 29 faith leaders who include the Bishop of London and former Chief Nursing Officer, Dame Sarah Mullally, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London, Archbishop Angaelos, the head of the Evangelical Alliance Gavin Calver, CARE CEO Ross Hendry, and the Chief Rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis.

A separate open letter opposing the bill has been signed by 73 academic experts in health, end-of-life care and the legal system who warn that "coercion would be a reality with a change in the law".

"To deny this is to ignore the 400,000 cases annually of domestic abuse for older people in England and Wales," they said.

"If the law were to change, we would see people with terminal disease feeling they should accept assisted suicide because (as has been the case for over 47 per cent of those seeking assisted suicide in Oregon and over 59 per cent in the State of Washington) they would feel they were a burden to friends and family."

They state that Ms Leadbeater's private member's bill is "an inadequate parliamentary process for an issue of such ethical and legal complexity", and say that it would be "difficult" for a High Court judge to investigate all the "complexities" involved in assessing individuals' mental and decision-making capacities.

"It lacks prudence to allow such a radical change to healthcare practice at a time of crisis for the NHS, especially given the increased financial pressures on general practice, hospices and care homes," they write.