As Catholic Bishops in England and Wales, and in Scotland, we believe that genuine compassion is under threat because of the attempts in Parliament to legalise assisted suicide.[…]
We appeal to those who share our Catholic belief in human dignity and sanctity of life, including fellow Christians, other religious people, and people of reason and good will, to join with us in defending the weakest and most vulnerable who are at risk through this proposed legislation.
A Bill has been introduced to Parliament which proposes a radical change to the law. If
passed it will allow a terminally ill person the possibility to seek lethal drugs from their doctor,
so as to end their life prematurely. Proponents of this change in the law speak of ‘assisted
dying’, but let’s be clear, this Bill isn’t about giving people access to palliative care to relieve
their suffering, and it isn’t about a patient having the right to decide to stop life-prolonging
treatment; people in this country already have these rights. No, this Bill is about allowing a
doctor to assist a person to take their own life, to help someone commit suicide, without
criminal consequences. This Bill is about assisted suicide.
If you weren’t able to attend Holy Mass on Pentecost weekend, or you’d just like to hear it again, here it is read by Bishop Patrick himself!