Dear supporter, This time tomorrow, Friday 29 November, MPs will start to debate one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation ever presented to Parliament – Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide Bill. The phrase ‘It’s a matter of life and death’ is sometimes used for the most trivial of issues. But tomorrow’s debate is exactly that. It could make it legal for doctors to help adults deemed to be terminally ill to kill themselves. There are many good reasons to oppose this Bill: the lack of scrutiny, the absence of safeguards, the inevitable expansion, the impact on palliative care services, and the pressure it places on vulnerable people to end their lives for fear of being a ‘burden’. As Christians, we also know the proposal breaches the Sixth Commandment and denies the value of every person as an individual made in the image of God.
Dear supporter,
This time tomorrow, Friday 29 November, MPs will start to debate one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation ever presented to Parliament – Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide Bill.
The phrase ‘It’s a matter of life and death’ is sometimes used for the most trivial of issues. But tomorrow’s debate is exactly that. It could make it legal for doctors to help adults deemed to be terminally ill to kill themselves.
There are many good reasons to oppose this Bill: the lack of scrutiny, the absence of safeguards, the inevitable expansion, the impact on palliative care services, and the pressure it places on vulnerable people to end their lives for fear of being a ‘burden’.
As Christians, we also know the proposal breaches the Sixth Commandment and denies the value of every person as an individual made in the image of God.
People contemplating assisted suicide are at their most desperate. Tragically, they may believe they are better off dead. Such people need a clear, firm law to protect them in these darkest moments. The law should not affirm the belief that their lives are not worth living.
Please pray:
- That this dangerous Bill will be defeated;
- For many MPs of all parties to speak powerfully against it and win over wavering colleagues;
- For the Institute and other groups as we brief MPs on the Bill’s many problems;
- For fair mainstream media coverage of this life-and-death issue;
- That the terminally ill will recognise their dignity and value as individuals made in God’s image.
If you want to know more to help you pray, read our briefing, and watch this panel discussion.
Do forward this email to friends and encourage them to pray about this issue too.
Yours in Christ,
Ciarán Kelly
Director
The Christian Institute
