Palliative care is the way forward, not assisted suicide

The assisted suicide bill at Westminster is now highly likely to fall after the government refused to give it any more parliamentary time. 

This is a wholly welcome outcome because the assisted suicide bill is deeply divisive and dangerous. At CARE, we do not think it is appropriate to grant the state the legal power to help some people kill themselves. 

Criticism

From the moment this Bill was introduced it has faced fierce criticism from atheists, medical experts, religious groups, disability groups and many, many others.

As the Bill passed through the Commons, the majority in favour between Second and Third Reading fell dramatically and it passed its final Commons stage by just 23 votes.

At the time, many MPs said they would vote for it precisely because they wanted the House of Lords to give it further consideration and scrutiny.

There are those who have claimed the Lords have just been "filibustering" to try and block the Bill. Some supporters, like Dame Esther Rantzen, have even railed against "religious groups" who oppose the Bill. 

But it is not just the religious in opposition. No major disability group supports the Bill and the overwhelming majority of palliative care doctors are also opposed. 

And the House of Lords has not "filibustered" the Bill. Our constitution is designed to ensure the Lords provides real expertise and careful, detailed scrutiny in a way that is not always possible in the Commons. 

Peers have therefore simply done their job. 

Perhaps Kim Leadbeater would have been wiser to ensure more careful scrutiny in the House of Commons. Instead, she stacked the committee with her allies and refused to engage with reasonable amendments put forward by the likes of Christian MP Danny Kruger. 

Another bill?

It is entirely possible that another assisted suicide bill emerges in the new Parliament. After each King's Speech, there are Private Members' ballots in the Commons and the Lords. An MP would need to be willing to re-introduce a Bill and then hope it gets through in the next couple of years before the next General Election. 

Even if that does not happen in the new Parliament, you can be sure there will be another bill at some stage. 

Key issues highlighted

But what this debate has highlighted is how important proper parliamentary scrutiny is. 

I think it is also vital to ensure we do not miss the opportunity raised by this Bill. We share a desire with supporters of this Bill to help people die well and avoid agonising suffering at the end of their life. We disagree, however, about how to do that. 

At CARE, we believe the answer is called palliative care. This is a holistic form of care where you address the patient's physical, psychological, relational, and spiritual pain. 

With good palliative care, the truth is that a good death is possible without resorting to assisted suicide. 

But palliative care is simply not as available across our country as it needs to be. It remains a bit of a postcode lottery whether you will be able to access it or not. 

We therefore urge the Government to publish its palliative care strategy and bring forward more funding to help ensure it is there when you need it. 

But beyond this, we oppose assisted suicide for another reason, and it is this: The Christian message, flowing from the reality that we are all made in God’s image, is to say to someone, "It is good that you exist. It is good that you are in this world."

Assisted suicide says the opposite. It says that it would be better for all if you were helped to kill yourself.

We can praise God this Bill is likely to fall. We must pray the proposed assisted suicide legislation in Scotland will also fall later in March.

Let’s praise God for this outcome and be ready, because future battles on this issue will still need to be fought.

Read the latest en news piece on the Bill - with more details about its expected fall - here.