Assisted dying

29 faith leaders have issued a joint letter expressing their opposition to legalising assisted dying. The intervention comes ahead of the second reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which will be debated in Parliament on Friday (29 November). Signatories to the letter include representatives of the Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Sikh communities.

The text of the open letter

As leaders of faith communities we wish to express our concern at the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) bill, which will be debated by MPs on 29th November. We are aware of how complex and weighty this topic is. There are many dimensions to the bill, all of them of great ethical and practical importance. We hold in prayer all those across our country who may be personally affected, and our representatives in Parliament with profound decisions before them.

Part of the role of faith leaders in communities is to provide spiritual and pastoral care for the sick and for the dying. We hold the hands of loved ones in their final days, we pray with families both before and after death. It is to this vocation that we have been called, and it is from this vocation that we write.

Our pastoral roles make us deeply concerned about the impact the bill would have on the most vulnerable, opening up the possibility of life-threating abuse and coercion. This is a concern we know is shared by many people, with and without faith.

In the UK, it is estimated that 2.7 million older people have been subjected to abuse; many of these may also be vulnerable to pressure to end their lives prematurely. Disability campaigners and those working with women in abusive relationships have also highlighted the danger of unintended consequences should the law be changed. The experience of jurisdictions which have introduced similar legislation, such as Oregon and Canada, demonstrate how tragic these unintended consequences can be. Promised safeguards have not always protected the vulnerable and marginalised.

Even when surrounded by loving family and friends, people towards the end of their life can still feel like a burden. This is especially the case while adult social care remains underfunded. In this environment, it is easy to see how a ‘right to die’ could all too easily end in feeling you have a duty to die.

We are convinced that the current law provides much greater security for those who are vulnerable than the bill before Parliament. A bill which MPs will have had only three weeks to scrutinise before they vote on it. The most effective safeguard against life-threatening coercion or abuse is to keep the law as it is.

In supporting the state of the current law, we do not deny that some people experience a painful death, though we welcome the fact that these deaths are far less common than they used to be due to advances in palliative care.

Over decades we have witnessed how compassionate care, along with the natural processes of dying, allow those at the end of their life to experience important moments. We have seen relationships repair and families reconcile. We have seen lives end in love. Much can be lost by cutting these processes short.

We believe that a truly compassionate response to the end of life lies in the provision of high-quality palliative care services to all who need them. While there are many examples of excellent palliative care in this country, it remains worryingly underfunded. Investment in palliative care is the policy of a truly compassionate nation. It is the way to ensure that everyone in society, including the most vulnerable, receive the care they deserve at the end of life.

The signatories

Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London and former Chief Nursing Officer

Vincent Nichols, Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster

Ephraim Mirvis, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth

Sayed Abdul Saheb Al-Khoei, Secretary General of Al-Khoei Foundation

Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Church

Imam Qari Asim, Chair of MINAB (Mosques and Imams Advisory Board)

Glyn Barrett, National Leader Assemblies of God

Anil Bhanot, Managing Trustee of the Hindu Council UK

Gavin Calver, CEO of Evangelical Alliance

Malcolm Deboo, President, Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe

Joseph Dweck, Senior Rabbi of the Spanish & Portuguese Sephardi Community

Pinchas Hackenbroch, Chair of the Rabbinical Council

Ross Hendry, CEO of CARE (Christian Action, Research and Education)

Trevor Howard, Executive Vice-Chair of the Board, Churches in Communities International

Andrew John, Archbishop of Church in Wales

Nikitas Lulias, Archbishop of Great Britain, Greek Orthodox Church

Paul and Jenine Main, Territorial Leaders of The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom and Ireland

Patrick McKinney, Roman Catholic Bishop of Nottingham

Zara Mohammed, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain

Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia, Spiritual Leader & Chair, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha

Trupti Patel, President of the Hindu Forum of Britain

Mark Pugh, General Superintendent of Elim Pentecostal Churches

Mehool Sanghrajka, Chair of the Institute of Jainology

Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala, President of Sri Lankan Sangha Sabha of Great Britain

Lord Singh of Wimbledon, Director of the Network of Sikh Organisations UK

Jonathan Wittenberg, Senior Rabbi of Masorti Judaism

Mar Awraham Youkhanis, Bishop of London, Assyrian Church of the East

Other voices 

Not all faith leaders oppose the assisted dying bill, however. Among those who support it is George Carey, former archbishop of Canterbury, who has urged Church of England bishops sitting in the House of Lords to back the bill, saying that in the past church leaders have often shamefully resisted change. Carey believes that the assisted dying bill is ‘necessary, compassionate and principled.’

The Baptist Union’s webpage explaining its perspectives on assisted dying can be found HERE.

The Joint Public Issues Team of the Baptist Union, Methodist Church and United Reformed Church is available HERE.

The United Reformed Church’s webpage containing information and various contextual positions on the Assisted Dying Bill is HERE.