Archbishop of Southwark John Wilson Andy Drozdziak (CNA)
The bishops of England and Wales continue to urge Catholics to “raise their voices” in opposition to an assisted suicide bill, the text of which was published earlier last week.
Late on November 11, English Labour Member of Parliament Kim Leadbeater published her Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill before Parliament members vote on it November 29. This means that members have less than three weeks to prepare to vote on a controversial issue.
Archbishop of Southwark John Wilson said: “As followers of the Lord Jesus, we must be bold in our efforts to uphold, respect, and protect every human life from conception until natural death, because if we don’t stand up and value the dignity of human life, who will?”
“The Catholic Church is clear: Every life is valuable — regardless of a person’s physical or mental state,” he continued.
The archbishop’s words come as the contents of Leadbeater’s controversial bill showed that terminally ill adults who are expected to die within six months would legally be able to seek help to kill themselves provided they receive the approval of two doctors and a judge.
However, Archbishop Wilson is concerned that the new bill will communicate the message that the elderly and vulnerable are “nothing but a burden to society”.
“People are being presented as a problem,” he said. “As a burden. A statistic. Something we can deal with through ending their life. Where is the dignity in that? Where is the love in that?”
Reacting to those who say “life has no value,” he said: “We need to raise our voices to say that is not true. We are stewards, not owners, of the life we have received. Life is not ours to dispose of.”
Leadbeater insisted that her bill contains “robust” safeguards, claiming that coercion would lead to 14 years in jail, but ArchbishopWilson believes the pressure on sick and vulnerable people to opt for assisted suicide would be “immeasurable.”
“The pressure this would put people under who are suffering illnesses or disabilities is immeasurable. It demeans humanity and deprives people of their right to life. This right is given by God and is for God alone to take.”
The archbishop challenged UK Catholics to contact their members of Parliament and pray for the defeat of the bill in obedience to their calling as disciples of Christ.
Andy Drozdziak is based in Barnard Castle in North East England, UK. He currently edits www.charisuk.com, the website for Catholic Charismatic Renewal in England and Wales, and has been published in a variety of outlets, including The Tablet, The Irish Catholic and Premier Christianity magazine.