Right To Life UK has stepped up its campaign against a renewed attempt to legalise assisted suicide, urging supporters to write to MPs ahead of a key Commons vote next month.
The pro-life group says comments from Prime Minister Andy Burnham on the state of palliative and social care could prove significant as MPs prepare to consider the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill at its Second Reading on September 11.
Burnham said that Parliament should focus first on addressing the shortcomings in the funding of palliative and social care rather than pursuing assisted suicide legislation.
“I think it is very challenging to introduce that wider debate in a context of people not receiving that care and having the peace of mind about that care,” he said. “That’s the way I see this, and that’s the position that I will stick to.”
Right To Life UK has welcomed the intervention and believes it could influence MPs who previously supported assisted suicide.
The organisation states that only 12 MPs would need to switch from supporting the previous legislation to opposing the new bill for it to be defeated.
It says seven MPs who endorsed the earlier bill have already indicated that they do not back its return during the new parliamentary session or attempts to use the Parliament Acts to secure its passage.
In response, Right To Life UK has launched a new campaign encouraging members of the public to send physical letters to their MPs, urging them to oppose the bill. Its online “EasyAction” tool generates a letter that supporters can print, sign and post to their constituency MP.
The letter draws attention to Burnham's comments, recent polling on assisted suicide and concerns about the availability and funding of hospice and end-of-life care.
Right To Life UK is encouraging people to write even if they have previously contacted their MP by email, explaining that while emails remain important for advocacy, a physical letter can carry “a unique weight”.
“A printed, signed letter is a tangible, personal form of communication that is often viewed by MPs as more deliberate and impactful, making it harder to ignore,” the group said. “It shows that a constituent feels strongly enough about this issue to print, sign and post a letter.”
It added that it also has a better chance of standing out among the large volume of correspondence MPs receive and of reaching the MP personally.
“Every letter sent will help reinforce the message to MPs that their constituents want them to reject this Bill on 11 September,” the group said.
The latest legislation was introduced by Labour MP Lauren Edwards, who secured second place in May’s Private Members’ Bill ballot.
It is patterned after the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill previously brought forward by Kim Leadbeater.
Under the proposals, terminally ill adults in England and Wales who are expected to have six months or less to live would be able to seek assistance to end their lives, subject to safeguards including approval from two doctors and an expert panel.
Leadbeater’s bill passed the House of Commons in June 2025 but failed to complete its passage through the House of Lords before the end of the parliamentary session in May after peers tabled hundreds of amendments.
Edwards has argued that the issue should be brought back before Parliament, saying MPs had already carefully considered the evidence and that terminally ill people and their families deserved a final decision.
Opposition remains strong among a number of Christian leaders, medical professionals and pro-life organisations.
The Bishop of Rochester, Jonathan Gibbs, recently warned that changing the law could have wider implications for society’s relationship with elderly and vulnerable people, particularly those who might experience coercion or come to believe that they are a burden on others.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales and CARE are among groups calling for greater investment in palliative care rather than legalising assisted suicide.
The British Medical Association has maintained that assisted suicide should not be regarded as a medical treatment and has called for strong conscience protections for healthcare professionals should the law change.
