BISHOP Mike, the Bishop of Exeter, has shared the following thoughts and pastoral guidance about the End of Life Bill which is due to be debated in Parliament today, Friday, November 29:

The Rt Rev Dr Mike Harrison writes: “You may be aware that the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, tabled by the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, was published recently and is due for debate and a vote on November 29.

“While I appreciate there are different views on this, and different personal experiences, I and many others are particularly concerned about this bill for a number of reasons, especially those who are vulnerable in one way or another.

“Some of these reasons are listed below. If you wish to write to your MP there are some resources below to help you do so. Please pray for MPs as they debate this highly significant issue.

“Reasons for Concern

• The Bill is asking doctors to judge whether a patient wanting assisted suicide is the victim of coercion without the necessary training.

• It envisages an overstretched NHS and legal system taking responsibility for the implementation of assisted suicide when only a minority of doctors say they would play any active role in the prescription of life-ending drugs.

• Overstretched courts are expected to take on potentially thousands of cases and this will likely mean they have less time to scrutinise each case, weakening the safeguard.

• Eligibility for assisted suicide will be for terminally ill people with six months or less to live but the difficulties in accurately predicting life expectancy are well known.

• Doctors could introduce the topic of assisted suicide to a patient even if they haven’t raised it. Given the highly vulnerable state of terminally ill patients this would be dangerous and could be understood as a recommendation.

• There is no mention of what the response or safeguards would be to patients that elected for assisted suicide on the grounds that they felt a burden.

• The Bill claims to be tightly drawn but there is already lobbying to widen its eligibility. The slippery slope is real and affects us in England and Wales – it’s not just a problem in countries like Canada.

• MPs were given just two and half weeks to consider a 40-page Bill that will have an enormous impact on society after just five hours of debate at its Second Reading. We are told it can be amended at later stages but that is back to front and too late.

• The already under-funded palliative care sector stands to be further under-resourced if the bill goes through, putting more pressure on the highly vulnerable to opt for assisted suicide as options for hospice care et al are reduced.

“Resources to inform your response:

• Resources from Care Not Killing, an alliance of disability, human rights, faith and healthcare groups that aims to promote palliative care and oppose moves towards euthanasia.

• Resources from Living and Dying Well, which offers analysis and research to inform the debate about assisted suicide.

• Documentary on BBC iPlayer presented by actor and disability rights campaigner Liz Carr, entitled ‘Better Off Dead?’

• If you would like to write to your MP you can enter your postcode here to find out which MP is yours.”