Today, Wednesday 16 October, a private member’s bill is being introduced to Parliament that seeks to make assisted suicide legal in our country. This is not a debate that starts and ends today, and will continue for a number of months before the final vote. It does, however, raise crucial questions about the fundamental dignity of every human life, and the care and protection that society should provide.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, has written a pastoral letter that was read out in his diocese this past weekend. The Cardinal offers three key points for Catholics to consider as this difficult debate begins.

Firstly, the Cardinal writes, we should be careful what we wish for: legislation permitting euthanasia in certain extreme cases is a slippery slope to far greater moral evil:

The evidence from every single country in which such a law has been passed is clear: that the circumstances in which the taking of a life is permitted are widened and widened, making assisted suicide and medical killing, or euthanasia, more and more available and accepted. In this country, assurances will be given that the proposed safeguards are firm and reliable. Rarely has this been the case. 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.

The Cardinal’s second point is that the slippery slope goes from a right to die to a duty to die, and that by removing laws that prohibit an action in favour of laws that permit something we change the attitudes of society — that which is permitted is often and easily encouraged:

Once assisted suicide is approved by the law, a key protection of human life falls away. Pressure mounts on those who are nearing death, from others or even from themselves, to end their life in order to take away a perceived burden of care from their family, for the avoidance of pain, or for the sake of an inheritance. I know that, for many people, there is profound fear at the prospect of prolonged suffering and loss of dignity. Yet such suffering itself can be eased. Part of this debate, then, must be the need and duty to enhance palliative care and hospice provision, so that there can genuinely be, for all of us, the prospect of living our last days in the company of loved ones and caring medical professionals. This is truly dying with dignity. The radical change in the law now being proposed risks bringing about for all medical professionals a slow change from a duty to care to a duty to kill.

Legalising euthanasia would profoundly change the relationship between doctors and nurses and their patients. It would also damage trust within families. The sick and elderly often worry that they are a burden on others or on the NHS, and could easily feel pressurised into asking for help to end their lives. It is a fact that in countries where euthanasia is legal, resources for palliative care hospices and funding for research into better treatments for those nearing the end of their lives have been tragically reduced. The much-publicised pressures on existing healthcare services, and the national cost of living crisis, are only going to make the slope more slippery, despite the best motives of politicians.

The final point Cardinal Nichols makes is that being forgetful of God belittles our humanity:

The questions raised by this bill go to the very heart of how we understand ourselves, our lives, our humanity. For people of faith in God, the first truth is that life, ultimately, is a gift of the Creator…  Every human being is made in the image and likeness of God. That is the source of our dignity and it is unique to the human person. The suffering of a human being is not meaningless. It does not destroy that dignity. It is an intrinsic part of our human journey, a journey embraced by Christ Jesus himself. He brings our humanity to full glory precisely through the gateway of suffering and death.

One of the fundamental concerns — and awful warnings — surrounding this bill is that it will give a person of sound will and mind the right to end their life:

We know, only too well, that suffering can bring people to a most dreadful state of mind, even driving them to take their own lives, in circumstances most often when they lack true freedom of mind and will, and so bear no culpability. But this proposed legislation is quite different. It seeks to give a person of sound will and mind the right to act in a way that is clearly contrary to a fundamental truth: our life is not our own possession, to dispose of as we feel fit. This is not a freedom of choice we can take for ourselves without undermining the foundations of trust and shared dignity on which a stable society rests.

So what can we as Catholics, as people of faith, do?

Firstly, we can and must pray. We pray for those facing the end of their lives with much pain and suffering, that they may receive the care and support they need to live their final days with respect for their dignity. We pray for our politicians, healthcare professionals, and our country, that wisdom and compassion may guide their decisions.

Secondly, we should become better informed about the serious moral issues associated with the legislation of assisted suicide and the need for better palliative care for the dying. We should urge all Catholics and people of goodwill to do the same, and be willing to have discussions with our family, friends and colleagues.

Thirdly, we can write to our local MPs to express our concerns. We cannot fulfil our vocation to be salt, light and leaven in the world if we are not prepared to stand up against error and evil, and call our society back to the Lord, who is the way, the truth and the life for all people.

Letters are more effective than emails, and so you can address your letter to:

[Name of MP]
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA

“Philip, my holy Patron, teach me by thy example, and gain for me by thy intercessions, to seek my Lord and God at all times and in all places, and to live in his presence and in sacred intercourse with him.”

St John Henry Newman is often remembered through his titles of Cardinal and theologian. However, he was first and foremost an Oratorian, a son of St Philip Neri who sought the inspiration of his patron throughout his life. While St John Henry produced deeply intellectual theological works throughout his life, these stand in strong contrast with his meditations and devotions written to be used in the Oratory. These prayers are simple, deeply honest and profound, composed for parishioners (who for the most part were Victorian Birmingham factory workers), and offered clear insights into the essentials of Christian life. They reflect Newman’s pastoral care, which is often overlooked by the focus on his theological works, and they stand on a foundation of love and admiration for God, Our Lady, and St Philip.

The admiration St John Henry had for St Philip’s habit of prayer is palpable throughout his own meditations. The English saint remarks about St Philip with great fondness that “the servant of God gave himself up to prayer, until he acquired such a habit of it, that, wherever he was, his mind was always lifted up to heavenly things.” Prayer was a way for St Philip to get closer to heaven while on earth, to be able to connect the worldly to the heavenly. With St John Henry’s description of prayer as speaking and listening to God, we reach a somewhat obvious but often forgotten conclusion: in order to grow in personal holiness and to strengthen our relationship with God we must, quite simply, be in constant communication with him. Newman makes St Philip’s advice on prayer his own: “When one of his penitents asked him to teach him how to pray, he answered, ‘Be humble and obedient, and the Holy Spirit will teach you.’” 

Newman’s meditations and devotions are not, therefore, simple because of their intended audience; they are simple because prayer is meant to be a simple but constant exchange of heart speaking to heart. And to make this exchange with even greater love, he invoked this assistance of his holy Father: “O my God, when shall I learn to love nothing else but thee? Gain for me, O Philip, a pure love, a strong love, and an efficacious love, that, loving God here upon earth, I may enjoy the sight of him together with thee and all saints, hereafter in heaven.”

St John Henry Newman now sits in heaven, together with our Holy Father St Philip, enjoying the sight of God. We pray that we may be inspired to love God in the same simple way that St John Henry was inspired by St Philip, so that, one day, we may also sit in heaven with them and enjoy that same sight.