UK faith leaders oppose assisted dying bill

LONDON: UK religious leaders joined forces Sunday to say they are “deeply concerned” by draft legislation to legalise assisted dying that MPs will vote on this week.

Two new polls ahead of Friday’s parliamentary vote showed a majority of Britons support changing the assisted dying laws.

The House of Commons will get a free vote on Labour lawmaker Kim Leadbeater’s private member’s bill, allowing them to vote with their conscience.

If approved, the legislation, which would only affect England and Wales, will advance to further votes in both chambers of parliament.

The issue -- last voted on in 2015, when MPs overwhelmingly rejected changing the law -- has sparked concern from religious groups and other opponents about its implications.

A joint letter signed by 29 faith leaders warned that a “right to die” could “all too easily” end in vulnerable people feeling they have a “duty to die”.

“Our pastoral roles make us deeply concerned about the impact the bill would have on the most vulnerable, opening up the possibility of life-threatening abuse and coercion,” they wrote in the letter published in The Observer newspaper. “This is a concern we know is shared by many people, with and without faith.”

The letter’s signatories included the Anglican Bishop of London, the Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster and Britain’s Chief Rabbi.

The intervention came hours after Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood became the latest senior minister to enter the contentious debate, arguing the state should “never offer death as a service”.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he will oppose the legislation, warning earlier this month it could lead to cuts in other services.

Several other senior ministers have said they will back the bill. The public comments have come despite the country’s most senior civil servant reminding the cabinet last month that they “should not take part in the public debate” given the government is remaining neutral on the bill.

The proposed law would require a patient’s wish to die to be signed off by a judge and two doctors, and be limited to those with six to 12 months to live.

A YouGov poll released Friday showed firm majorities across all demographic groups backing legalising assisted dying.

Another More in Common think tank survey of 15,000 people, reported by The Sunday Times, found nearly two-thirds in favour and only 13 percent opposed.

Euthanasia is illegal in Britain but is in place to varying degrees in some European countries.