A fresh bid to legalise assisted suicide is facing strong opposition from the Bishop of Rochester, who says the proposed legislation risks altering how society treats elderly and vulnerable people.
Bishop Jonathan Gibbs was responding to a new Private Member’s Bill initiated by Lauren Edwards, Rochester and Strood MP, based on Kim Leadbeater’s failed bill which ran out of time earlier this year.
If passed, the new bill would enable terminally ill adults in England and Wales who are expected to be in the final six months of life to request an assisted suicide, provided their application is signed off by two doctors and an expert panel.
Edwards came second in May’s private members’ ballot, leaving her proposal well placed for a parliamentary debate when it receives its Second Reading on September 11.
Bishop Gibbs has expressed concern about the wider consequences of changing the law, particularly its impact on those who are elderly, disabled or otherwise vulnerable.
He said he had spoken to Edwards about assisted suicide and respected her “conviction and compassion”.
His concerns remain though: “If this kind of system is introduced, will it not change the relationship between society and the elderly and the vulnerable?
“In particular, those who may face some form of coercion or feel they’re a burden on society? I think we need to weigh very, very carefully the implications of such a huge change.”
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) welcomed Bishop Gibbs’ comments.
Michael Robinson, SPUC’s executive director, said that legalising assisted suicide would have damaging consequences for elderly and vulnerable people.
He argued that the concerns expressed by disabled and vulnerable groups had been overlooked in favour of a small number of people seeking assisted suicide.
Mr Robinson rejected suggestions that the previous Bill had simply been delayed by procedural tactics in the House of Lords.
Instead, he said peers had identified serious flaws in the legislation, describing the revived proposal as “unsafe” and warning that reintroducing it was “a reckless and dangerous move”.
The latest proposal faces strong opposition from Church leaders, medical organisations and pro-life groups.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and other Christian and pro-life advocacy groups like CARE and Right To Life UK have urged MPs to reject the bill and increase investment in palliative care.
The British Medical Association recently said that assisted suicide is “not a medical treatment” and called for conscience protections for healthcare professionals.
