End of Life Bill passes UK House of Commons - reaction from Catholic and Anglican churches

VATICAN CITY - Catholics and Anglicans express their opposition to the adoption of the Terminally Ill Persons Bill by the UK House of Commons.

"A defining moment in the history of our country" because it "radically changes the values and established relationships in society on matters of life and death": this is how the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Gerard Nichols, President of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, commented on the approval of the law that allows terminally ill adults in need of protection and care to ask for and receive help to end their lives. The measure, which passed its third reading in the London House of Commons on Friday 20 June by just 23 votes (314 for, 291 against), will now be debated by the House of Lords, where a large majority of yes votes are looming. "The task is now clear," said Archbishop Nichols: "We must do all we can to limit the harm that this decision will cause," and in any case "the option of choosing death cannot exclude the possibility of providing adequate care for those who choose to live until natural death."

Reaction of the bishops

The Bishop of Liverpool, John Francis Sherrington, who is responsible for life issues in the Bishops' Conference, is on the same page: 'In this debate we have expressed the view that true compassion means accompanying those in need of care, especially in the case of illness, disability and old age. The caring profession is central to the lives of many people who care for their loved ones and is a sign of a truly compassionate society. Allowing doctors to help patients end their lives will change the culture of healthcare and raise legitimate concerns for people with disabilities or those who are particularly vulnerable for other reasons." According to the Bishops of England and Wales, "it is essential to nurture and renew the innate vocation of many people to care for others with compassion" and "improving the quality and availability of palliative care is the right way to reduce suffering at the end of life. We remain committed to this and ask the Catholic community to support those who work tirelessly to care for the dying in our hospices, hospitals and nursing homes."

Criticism also from the Church of England

The Bishop of London, Sarah Elizabeth Mullally, the Church of England's health and social care officer, spoke for the Church of England: 'This Parliamentary Bill has passed its third reading despite mounting evidence that it is unworkable, dangerous and puts the most vulnerable in our society at risk. These unresolved concerns have been raised in numerous speeches by MPs and confirmed by a reduced majority in the House of Lords. If passed, this Bill will come into force at a time when adult social care suffers from serious failings and when the NHS is under well-documented pressure, compounding the potential risks to the most vulnerable." According to Mullally, the law is pushing terminally ill people "who feel like a burden to their families and friends" to choose "assisted dying" in a society where "the state fully funds a service for terminally ill people who wish to end their lives, but surprisingly only funds about a third of palliative care". Every person 'has immeasurable and irreducible value and should have access to the care and support they need: a principle I know is shared by all religions'. The Bishop of London is calling for further opposition to this law, which "puts vulnerable people at risk rather than seeking to increase funding and access to much-needed palliative services".

The law on abortion is also amended

On 17 June, in a wide-ranging measure, the British House of Commons passed (379 votes for, 137 against) an amendment to the abortion bill that will legalise the voluntary termination of pregnancy after the previously permitted 24-week period. The aim is to ensure that women who have an abortion after the deadline (and not only in cases where the mother's life is in danger) cannot be prosecuted and sentenced. "Desperate women need compassion, not criminalization," the amendment's sponsors said. The opposite view is held by some pro-life groups, who say the measure will ultimately make access to abortion even easier in a country that broke a new absolute record for the number of voluntary terminations of pregnancy, which rose to 252,122 in 2022 (the last year for which verified data is available). Both Catholics and Anglicans have expressed concern in this case. Monsignor Sherrington explained that "the new clause removes all criminal liability for women who have an abortion for any reason and at any stage of pregnancy. This decision severely limits the protection of the life of unborn children" and "leaves women even more alone and vulnerable to manipulation and forced, late-term and unsafe abortions carried out at home." Bishop Sarah Mullally, while opposing the criminal prosecution of women who have abortions, said decriminalising voluntary termination of pregnancy "may undermine the value of the life of the unborn child".

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