Barry Duke, the Angry Atheist

Pointing and laughing at religious lunacy for more than half-a-century

Catholic Church is hell-bent on derailing the UK’s assisted suicide bill

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AS the UK slowly — far too slowly — edges towards legalising assisted suicide in England and Wales, the Catholic Church’s Cardinal Vincent Nichols, above, yesterday issued a pastoral letter to church members, urging then to put pressure on MPs to vote against the The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

He stuck his ecclesiastical nose into the issue just before MPs reviewing the Bill today agreed that judges should not be involved in the process. Instead a three-person panel comprising a senior legal figure, a psychiatrist and a social worker should oversee applications.

Nichols, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, asks in his letter, which will be read in the parishes of Westminster archdiocese over the weekend of 5-6 April, “can MPs guarantee that the scope of the Bill will not be extended?”

He adds:

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’?

As well as restating the Bishops’ objections to the Bill in principle, Cardinal Nichols expresses his dissatisfaction regarding the “deeply flawed” parliamentary process.

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.

Questioning why there has not been a Royal Commission or independent inquiry before considering changing the law “on matters of, literally, life and death”, the Cardinal wrote:

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.

And the fool trotted out the tired old “palliative care” argument:

This [palliative care] 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.

The Bill’s Third Reading and vote will take place on or around Friday, 25 April.

Last month “thousands” of Christians across the UK reportedly united in prayer against two proposals to introduce assisted suicide in Great Britain.

Anti-LGBT+ hate group the Christian Institute, Affinity, CARE, the Christian Medical Fellowship and the Evangelical Alliance invited Christians to encourage their church and friends to join a national day of prayer on the issue.

Meanwhile, just over a week ago, the Isle of Man voted to become the first place in British Isles to approve right to die, in the face of strong religious opposition.

Image via YouTube

For instance, Canon Dr Sugden, above, Chairman of Anglican Mainstream, blathered ahead of the vote:

Pray that God will move in the hearts of those who are taking these decisions to see the extreme dangers that they’re putting people in.

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12 responses to “Catholic Church is hell-bent on derailing the UK’s assisted suicide bill”

  1. Broga Avatar
    Broga

    Bloody RC Church. A scourge on civilized life. My mum died aged 101 and three months. We cared for her with us for her last four years and for her last 6 months or so she pleaded to die as she was suffering so much. Meanwhile, RC priests, unmarried, insisted that “palliative care” was the best opition and assisted dying was against “God’s wishes.” God seems to be in favour of the millions of children dying around the world.

    When Galileo discovered that the Earth went round the sun 300 or so years ago he was forced, under threat of torture, to recant.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
    1. Avatar
      Anonymous

      C**ts, every last one of them

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Broga Avatar
        Broga

        Yes, it is an issue that has become very personal for me. I accept, even although it was 12 years since my mum died, that I still cannot think about it coolly. The RC view, from priests who have no personal involvement, is that they want to prevent deliberate killing of relatives for gain. This heaps outrageous insult on relatives often, in my case, caring for a much loved relative. The alternative is that we are forced to witness their suffering – day and night.

        Despite the high and mighty tone of clergy and their readiness to instruct the rest of us, the recent C.of E Archbishop was so overwhelmed with paedophile clergy he couldn’t deal with them.

        Liked by 3 people

        Reply
    2. barriejohn Avatar
      barriejohn

      All part of “God’s Plan”!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  2. stephenharvie Avatar
    stephenharvie

    C**ts, every last one of them

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. stephenharvie Avatar
    stephenharvie

    Religitard dellusionists should have no say whatsoever in an aspect of healthcare.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Broga Avatar
      Broga

      Agreed. Religious belief perverts and corrupts the working of the brain. The BBC uses our licence fees to pay them to preach the most obvious nonsense every day.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  4. malcolmjdodd Avatar
    malcolmjdodd

    I like all of the above comments; unfortunately, selecting ‘like’ mostly doesn’t like me selecting it – why?

    Like

    Reply
    1. barriejohn Avatar
      barriejohn

      I have a lot of difficulty using WordPress now. It doesn’t seem to think I am logged in!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  5. Broga Avatar
    Broga

    I sometimes have the same problem. I am fairly useless beyond the basic stuff with computers. My wife is the opposite. She enjoys sorting them out.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. malcolmjdodd Avatar
      malcolmjdodd

      It is not you or me, it is the fickle software.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      1. Broga Avatar
        Broga

        That is how it seems and it is reassuring to know.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

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