Bishop John Keenan has issued a pastoral letter urging Catholics across Scotland to contact their MPs ahead of the return of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill to the House of Commons on Friday 11 September.
The Bill, reintroduced by Lauren Edwards MP, would permit eligible terminally ill adults in England and Wales to receive assistance to end their lives. A similar Bill was defeated in the Scottish Parliament last March.
Although this new legislation would apply only to England and Wales, Bishop Keenan stresses that this remains an important moment for Catholics in Scotland. The outcome at Westminster could have significant consequences north of the border and potentially reignite attempts to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland.
In his letter, Bishop Keenan describes the coming vote as a “grave moment for the protection of human life” and urges Catholics to contact their MPs “without delay” and ask them to oppose the Bill.
Bishop Keenan said:
“Our opposition to assisted suicide is rooted in compassion. Every person, from conception until natural death, possesses an inviolable dignity as one made in the image and likeness of God.”
Warning particularly of the potential consequences for vulnerable people, he added:
“Illness, frailty, disability, dependence or fear must never lead society to conclude that some lives are no longer worth living.”
The Bishop calls instead for greater investment in palliative and hospice care and better support for carers, insisting that “the proper response to suffering is care, presence, skilled palliative medicine and practical support—not the deliberate ending of life.”
Scotland’s Catholic bishops encourage all who stand on the side of life to contact their MP today and without delay, asking them to protect vulnerable people, support better palliative and hospice care, and vote against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
Pastoral Letter – Assisted Suicide
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I write at a grave moment for the protection of human life. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, re-introduced by Lauren Edwards MP, seeks to legalise assisted suicide. It is expected to return to the House of Commons for debate and a vote on 11th September. I urge Catholics throughout Scotland to contact their MP without delay and ask them to vote against this deeply unsafe Bill.
Although it would not directly apply to Scotland, should the Bill pass, it would significantly increase the likelihood of MSPs revisiting the issue of assisted suicide, despite the Scottish Parliament having rejected it only recently.
Our opposition to assisted suicide is rooted in compassion. Every person, from conception until natural death, possesses an inviolable dignity as one made in the image and likeness of God. Illness, frailty, disability, dependence or fear must never lead society to conclude that some lives are no longer worth living. The proper response to suffering is care, presence, skilled palliative medicine and practical support—not the deliberate ending of life.
Changing the law would place vulnerable people, including the elderly, the disabled, the seriously ill and those who feel they are a burden, at risk of pressure. No safeguard can remove that danger completely.
Scotland and the whole United Kingdom need better palliative and hospice care, better support for carers, and a renewed commitment that no one should face terminal illness alone, afraid or without dignity. We welcome calls by the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, for improvements to palliative and social care to be prioritised before a debate on assisted suicide.
Please act now. Contact your MP today and ask them, respectfully and urgently and, in your own words, to protect vulnerable people and support better palliative and hospice care by voting against the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
To find your MP, visit the UK Parliament website and enter your postcode.
I also invite every parish and Catholic organisation to encourage prayer, informed discussion and charitable witness on this matter. Let us speak with clarity, compassion and confidence in the Gospel of Life. Let us pray for all who are seriously ill, for their families and carers, and for those in public office, that they may uphold the dignity of every human life and work to build a society that truly cares for its most vulnerable members.
With every blessing,
Bishop John Keenan,
President of Marriage, Family and Life Office
