Bishop Richard Moth, the Catholic bishop of Arundel and Brighton, has condemned the Assisted Suicide Bill, currently being considered in the UK, as “a crime against life”. He urged lay Catholics to help oppose the Bill.
In a rare pastoral letter sent out to the parishes of his diocese in Sussex and Surrey, Bishop Moth said: “it is important that we take action to challenge this proposed legislation [the Assisted Suicide Bill]… a crime against life.”
Emphasising the need to provide “the best possible end-of-life care, including spiritual and pastoral support” for the dying, Bishop Moth said that the Assisted Dying legislation currently “being considered raises serious questions about society’s ability to protect those who are most vulnerable”.
He said: “We must ask how the law can ensure that a person will be free from pressure to end their life prematurely due to perceptions about ‘quality’ or ‘worth’ of life, and will not feel the need to act out of a sense of ‘being a burden’ to family and to the wider society.”
Impossible to be neutral
Bishop Moth also noted with concern the recent decision by the British Medical Association to be “neutral” on assisted suicide, which he believes makes the issue more urgent than ever.
Citing nations where assisted suicide has been introduced and where deaths have consequently surged – in Belgium, for example, from just 24 in 2002 to 2,656 in 2019, as SPUC has reported – the bishop provided warning of what would happen should legislation be passed.
The bishop also reaffirmed the position of the Catholic Church: that it “remains opposed to any form of assisted suicide. It is a crime against human life, and we cannot directly choose to take the life of another, even if they request it…
“As followers of Christ, we recognise the Sanctity of Life in all around us. This must urge us to call everyone to this place of compassion… that is at the core of our humanity…
“The provision of this care should be a priority.”
Standing up for the vulnerable
Michael Robinson, SPUC Director of Communications, said: “It is vital at such a juncture in our country that men and women in positions of authority and influence, such as Bishop Moth, speak out against assisted suicide.
“This is absolutely not an issue in which one can remain ‘neutral’, as the bishop rightly asserts. While many are abandoning good sense and duty, especially the duty of care to patients, Bishop Moth has stood up for the vulnerable and the sanctity of life.
“As he says, the answer to the challenges of life is not death, but care and compassion.”