British lawmakers' vote signals initial approval for assisted suicide legislation

(OSV News) -- Britain's lawmakers voted Nov. 29 in Parliament to legalize assisted suicide for the terminally ill in England and Wales, despite opposition from Britain's Catholicbishops and other faith groups.

After five hours of impassioned and sometimes personal debate in the House of Commons, parliamentarians passed the measure 330 to 275, signaling their approval of the bill. The legislation will now face further scrutiny before a final vote.

English, Welsh and Scottish bishops urged opposition to the "Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill," put forward by Kim Leadbeater from the governing Labour Party, which would allow life-ending medical assistance for terminally ill adults over age 18 who are expected to live no more than six months.

The legislation does not apply to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

In a Nov. 14 joint statement, the bishops said experience showed "promised safeguards are soon forgotten," warning the bill would "fundamentally damage" doctor-patient relations and "radically alter the ethos of trust and support."

"In the discussion around assisted suicide, so much is made of freedom of choice and autonomy; but autonomy is not absolute and must always be placed within the context of the common good," the bishops said.

"We appeal to those who share our Catholic belief in human dignity and sanctity of life, including fellow Christians, other religious people, and people of reason and good will, to join with us in defending the weakest and most vulnerable."

A bishops' conference spokesman told OSV News the statement had prompted more parliamentarians to "contact their local bishops" about assisted suicide, and encouraged "substantial and rightful indignation" against the bill from disability groups.

Timothy Dieppe, head of public policy for the ecumenical organization Christian Concern, had predicted a close vote.

"Many members of Parliament, elected only recently, are having to decide on a life-or-death ethical issue they haven't considered before," said Dieppe, a theologian, who had expressed hope that the measure's failure would have sent "a powerful signal worldwide that assisted suicide isn't inevitable and doesn't constitute progress."

The measure, which overturns Britain's 1961 Suicide Act, and violates "all major religious traditions and ethical codes," Dieppe told OSV News in an interview prior to the vote.

Lord David Alton, a veteran Catholic campaigner, said the "deceptively named" bill lacked public support and had been criticized by top judges and medical professionals.

"When MPs last rejected such legislation, they were given almost two months to scrutinize it -- this time they've had less than two weeks," Alton, a human rights advocate, told OSV News prior to the vote.

"With many elderly people going into winter with their fuel allowances cut and palliative care services in crisis, the government's own health secretary has warned of a chilling scenario in which patients are pressured into ending their lives," he said.

In a statement released Nov. 24, Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster and Bishop Patrick McKinney of Nottingham were among nearly 30 religious leaders representing several faiths -- including Jewish, Muslim, Coptic Orthodox, Hindu, Zoroastrian, evangelical, Greek Orthodox, Jainism, Sikh, Pentecostal and the Assyrian Church -- again urged the assisted suicide bill be rejected.

Seven European countries -- Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Switzerland -- currently permit assisted suicide, while the practice is also allowed in 11 of 50 U.S. states. Austria, Finland, and Norway allow passive euthanasia under strict circumstances.

A previous bill on assisted suicide was defeated by 330 votes to 118 in Britain's lower House of Commons in September 2015, while an August survey highlighted public fear the practice could be encouraged to ease pressures in the National Health Service.

A local "Assisted Dying Bill" was rejected Oct. 1 by the Scottish government, which ruled it lay "outside the legislative competence" of the devolved parliament, while a motion supporting Leadbeater's bill was voted down Oct. 23 in the Welsh Senedd assembly.