Religious organisations across the UK are uniting for a National Day of Prayer Against Assisted Suicide on Tuesday 25 March.
The initiative, led by The Christian Institute in collaboration with Affinity, CARE, the Christian Medical Fellowship, and the Evangelical Alliance, aims to rally Christians in opposition to proposed legislation on assisted dying.
The focus of the prayer effort is Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill, which is currently under review in committee stage. Deliberations on the Stage 1 report are expected to commence in April.
According to The Christian Institute, the majority of oral evidence presented to the committee has been against the bill.
Ciarán Kelly, the Director of The Christian Institute remarked, “Now is a key moment to pray for the failure of efforts to legalise assisted suicide for ill and vulnerable people.”
The organisations are urging individuals and churches to host prayer meetings at their churches either in person or online, and to spread awareness about the event.
Participants are encouraged to focus their prayers on the following themes:
- Compassion – Praying for a societal shift toward prioritising care for the sick rather than facilitating their deaths.
- Clarity – Asking for politicians and journalists to recognise the implications of the bill, particularly its impact on vulnerable individuals and doctor-patient relationships.
- Courage – Giving thanks for politicians already opposing the bill and asking for more to speak out.
- Co-operation – Praying for the effectiveness of Christian and non-Christian groups working in Parliament, media and at grassroots to prevent the legislation from passing and expressing gratitude for their efforts thus far.
- Concern – Seeking that the voices of professionals who oppose the bill will be acknowledged and respected by decision-makers.
