Cardinal criticises ‘deeply irresponsible’ handling of assisted suicide bill as four Labour MPs deliver devastating blow

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is advancing rapidly through Parliament.

The Bill, which seeks to allow terminally ill adults, under specific safeguards, to request and receive assistance to end their own lives, had its first reading on 16 October 2024, followed by a second reading on 29 November 2024. It has now reached the Committee Stage, with the first debate held on 31 January 2025.

However, significant concerns have been raised about both the Bill’s content and the way it is being handled. Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and Britain’s most senior Catholic leader, has condemned the process as “deeply irresponsible.” In an interview with the Christian Fellowship group at News UK, he remarked, “It is deeply irresponsible of any government to allow a change of this magnitude without due, proper, government-supported parliamentary process.”

He criticised MPs for spending just a few hours debating a Bill that could fundamentally alter British society, contrasting it with the 700 hours of debate on the 2004 Hunting Act, which banned fox hunting. “I think what’s happening, if it came to pass, would be the biggest change this country has seen for many, many decades… On the back of what—five, six, seven hours’ debate?” he questioned.

In October 2024, Cardinal Nichols urged Catholics to engage in the debate by writing to their MPs. He warned, “This proposed change in the law may be a source of relief to some. But it will bring great fear and trepidation to many, especially those who have vulnerabilities and those living with disabilities. What is now proposed will not be the end of the story. It is a story better not begun.”

He cautioned against the dangers of legalising assisted dying, stating, “Be careful what you wish for; the right to die can become a duty to die; being forgetful of God belittles our humanity.” Despite the Bill passing its Second Reading by 330 to 275 votes, he expressed hope that it could still be defeated: “I don’t think the story is over yet.”

Beyond the concerns about the rushed process, four Labour MPs have written a letter to their colleagues, delivering a scathing critique of the Bill and the committee’s handling of it. “We are writing as Labour MPs with concerns about the detail of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which completed its three days of oral evidence last week,” the letter states.

It highlights serious omissions in witness selection. Despite hearing from 50 expert witnesses, the Committee failed to include:

• Witnesses with expertise of domestic abuse or coercive control against women and girls,
• Witnesses from jurisdictions where assisted suicide has been introduced but who had concerns about it,
• Witnesses with personal experience of a loved one’s assisted death where the family had concerns or opposed the decision.

“Many members, including members of the committee, feel the overall list of witnesses did not in fact reflect a wide range of different views, but was weighted towards voices that were known to be supportive of the Bill,” the letter states.

Furthermore, the scope of the Bill is already expanding. An amendment has been tabled to extend the “six months to live” criterion to twelve months. Concerns have also been raised about assessing a person’s capacity to choose assisted dying. Currently, medical professionals are trained to assess a patient’s ability to take antibiotics or refuse treatment over time—far removed from evaluating a one-off, irreversible decision to end life.

The letter also warns of inequalities in access to good palliative care, with ethnic minority, lower-income, and disabled individuals being disproportionately affected. Dr Sarah Cox from the Association of Palliative Medicine was asked when palliative care would be sufficient to make the Bill’s process safe. She replied, “When it is not only available to those who are white and rich and have cancer.”

Legal concerns were also flagged:

• The British court system, already struggling, would be burdened with additional cases requiring High Court judges to decide on assisted suicide requests.
• The Bill explicitly prevents appeals from individuals with evidence that a person should not have been granted assisted suicide.
• Clause 25 shields medical professionals from civil accusations of neglect when assisting a death—even if their negligence results in a more painful and protracted death.

The letter concludes by urging MPs to take the necessary time to scrutinise the Bill rigorously, ensuring that it receives the level of examination the public expects on such an issue of unparalleled importance.