Assisted Suicide: Kim Leadbeater's Bill Delayed

(but not yet dead so please act now)

From Catherine Robinson, Right To Life UK

I want to share an important update with you.

Kim Leadbeater has decided to delay the next stage (day one of Report Stage) of her assisted suicide Bill from 25 April to 16 May.
Although we don't know for sure why she has made this decision, we do know that her team have been going around MPs' offices in Parliament trying to work out if they have the numbers to win a vote on the Bill. 

It's very possible they realised they don't currently have the support to win - and decided to buy themselves more time.
That means we now have three extra weeks.

But the assisted suicide lobby won't be standing still. They will be using every minute of this extra time.
So it's vital we don't get complacent. We need to use every day between now and 16 May to reach as many MPs as possible - and persuade them to oppose this dangerous Bill.

That's why, tonight, we've launched the Support Not Suicide campaign - a major new nationwide campaign that we will be running over this final phase leading up to the vote on the Bill at Third Reading.
This campaign will be entirely focused on defeating this dangerous Bill. If assisted suicide is legalised, thousands of vulnerable lives will be put at risk. We cannot let that happen.

TAKE ACTION NOW

Tonight, as part of the launch of the campaign, we are asking you to take the first important and vital campaign action: requesting a meeting with your MP.

A number of MPs we have spoken to have made it clear that constituents taking the time to go and visit their MP in person is the best way to make a significant difference with this Bill.

They have asked that people in every constituency around the country visit their MP as a matter of urgency.
I know meeting your MP might feel daunting, so we've made it easy.
We've created a dedicated mini-site that guides you through the process. It includes:
• A simple EasyAction tool that lets you request a meeting with your MP in just 30 seconds
• An introductory video guide, Insider Tips for Meeting with Your MP, where Tom Hunt (former MP) and Rupert Evans (our Director of Public Affairs) share tips and talking points to help you prepare
• An in-depth step-by-step 'how to' guide 
• A clear MP briefing you can take to your meeting

Please don't wait. Take action now and click the button below to ask your MP for a meeting now or find out more about meeting with your MP. It only takes 30 seconds.

Even if you're not sure yet, I urge you to watch the video. It's a great first step - and will help you see that meeting with your MP is something you can do.

After you've contacted your MP to ask for a meeting, please take one more important step: encourage like-minded friends and family to do the same. Simply forward this email to them so they can take action too. Every meeting counts!

Best wishes,

Catherine Robinson
Right To Life UK

Pastoral Letter on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
To be read at all Masses 5th/6th April 2025
Fifth Sunday of Lent

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I wish to speak with you today about the process in which our Parliament is currently considering legalising assisted suicide through the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. As I have made clear earlier in this debate, as Catholics we have maintained a principled objection to this change in law recognising that every human life is sacred, coming as a gift of God and bearing a God-given dignity. We are, therefore, clearly opposed to this Bill in principle, elevating, as it does, the autonomy of the individual above all other considerations.

The passage of the Bill through Parliament will lead to a vote in late April on whether it progresses further. This will be a crucial moment and I, together with all the Bishops of England and Wales, am writing to ask your support in urging your MP to vote against this Bill at that time.

There are serious reasons for doing so. At this point we wish not simply to restate our objections in principle, but to emphasise the deeply flawed process undergone in Parliament thus far. We wish to remind you that it is a fundamental duty of every MP to ensure that legislation is not imposed on our society which has not been properly scrutinised and which will bring about damaging consequences.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will fundamentally change many of the key relationships in our way of life: within the family, between doctor and patient, within the health service. Yet there has been no Royal Commission or independent inquiry ahead of its presentation. It is a Private Member’s Bill. The Bill itself is long and complex and was published just days before MPs voted on it, giving them inadequate time to consult or reflect upon it. The time for debate was minimal. The Committee examining the Bill took only three days of evidence: not all voices were heard, and it comprises an undue number of supporters of the Bill. In short, this is no way to legislate on such an important and morally complex issue.

One consequence of this flawed process is that many vital questions remain unanswered. Can MPs guarantee that the scope of the Bill will not be extended? In almost every country where assisted suicide has been introduced the current scope is wider than was originally intended. What role, if any, will the judiciary have in the process? We were told that judicial oversight was a necessary and vital part of the process; now we are told it isn’t needed at all. What will protect the vulnerable from coercion, or from feeling a burden on family? Can the National Health Service cope with assisted suicide or will it, as the Health Secretary has warned, cause cuts elsewhere in the NHS? Can MPs guarantee that no medical practitioner or care worker would be compelled to take part in assisted suicide? Would this mean the establishment of a ‘national death service’?

In contrast to the provisions of this Bill, what is needed is first-class, compassionate palliative care at the end of our lives. This is already provided to many in our society but, tragically, is in short supply and underfunded. No-one should be dispatched as a burden to others. Instead, a good society would prioritise care for the elderly, the vulnerable, and the weak. The lives of our families are richer for cherishing their presence.

It is sad reflection on Parliament’s priorities that the House of Commons spent far more time debating the ban on fox hunting than it is spending debating bringing in assisted suicide.

I am sure that you will share these concerns. It is now clear that this measure is being rushed without proper scrutiny and without fundamental questions surrounding safeguards being answered. This is a deeply flawed Bill with untold unintended consequences.

Every MP, and Government, has a solemn duty to prevent such legislation reaching the statute book. This, tragically, is what may happen. So I appeal to you: even if you have written before, please make contact now with your MP and ask them to vote against this Bill not only on grounds of principle but because of the failure of Parliament to approach this issue in an adequate and responsible manner.

In his Letter to the Philippians, from which we heard in the Second Reading, St Paul reflects on the difficulties and responsibilities of life. He speaks of ‘pressing on’ and ‘striving’ for the fulness of life promised in Christ Jesus. Yet he is totally confident in his struggles because, as he says, ‘Christ Jesus has made me his own’.

We too have many struggles. We too know that Christ Jesus has made us his own. So we too press on with this struggle, so important in our times.

May God bless you all.

Vincent, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster

Parish Garden Party 2024

Sunday 11th August 2024

With thanks to Andrew Carter for the photos below