Assisted Suicide Vote – Bishop John Keenan tells the poor and vulnerable: ‘we will never abandon you’

Bishop John Keenan, Bishop of Paisley, has responded to the recent vote on assisted suicide by assuring the poor and vulnerable that the Church will never abandon them.

On Friday, MPs narrowly voted in favour of introducing assisted suicide in England & Wales, supporting the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill by 314-291 votes. The Bill will now pass to the House of Lords for further scrutiny.

The dangerous Bill, which has been criticised by medical bodies, including the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Physicians, has also been strongly opposed by organisations representing vulnerable people across the UK, including the disabled, the elderly, those with eating disorders and victims of domestic abuse, who fear that people will be coerced into an early death.  

Whilst the law would not apply to Scotland, it is likely to influence similar legislation currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament and which is expected to be considered by MSPs later in the year.

Responding to the Westminster vote, Bishop John Keenan said:

“This is a devastating result. Despite the deeply held and clearly expressed concerns of some of the most vulnerable people in our society, including the disabled, MPs have decided to progress this Bill and move one step closer to the establishment of state facilitated suicide.  

“There is no dignity in handing a lethal concoction of drugs to a vulnerable person to help them kill themselves.”

He added: “Despite yesterday’s result, we still hold out hope that sense will prevail and this Bill will not pass into law. 

“In the meantime, I would like to thank all those who engaged with their MPs and thank those MPs who voted against the Bill. And I make this promise to all people: the Catholic Church will continue to offer her unwavering commitment to the poorest and most vulnerable. We will never abandon you.”

The Catholic Parliamentary Office will shortly publish a list of MPs from Scotland and how they voted on the Bill.

If the issues discussed here affect you or someone close to you, you can call Samaritans on 116 123 (UK and ROI), visit their website or contact them on: [email protected]