November 29, 2024 was a dark day for the United Kingdom. After a five-hour debate, members of Parliament (MP) voted 330–275 in favor of The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. It is the first time an assisted suicide bill has passed a second reading in the House of Commons. A second reading “is the first opportunity for MPs to debate the main principles of [a] Bill.” Strangely, the number of MPs voting for the bill (330) is the same number that voted against a previous bill in 2015. The passing of the U.K. assisted suicide bill is an indictment on our society’s view of human dignity.
How did the U.K. assisted suicide bill make it this far?
In 2015, the Conservatives (closer to the Republican Party) were in power. Fiona Bruce, a Christian MP, led the campaign against the assisted suicide bill. The make-up of Parliament was more favorable to those of us who oppose assisted suicide. But nine years is a long time in politics.
This time around in 2024, the Labour Party is in power (closer to the Democrats) with a whopping majority and 335 new MPs whose views on this issue were largely unknown. In addition, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is personally supportive of the bill, voted for it, and his office, 10 Downing Street, leaned heavily on Labour MP Kim Leadbeater to bring an assisted suicide bill forward.
Leadbeater had come top of the private members bill ballot—a mechanism that allows nongovernment MPs to introduce potential new laws. The higher up the ballot you are, the more parliamentary time you can secure, giving your bill the highest chance of clearing all the stages. According to sources in the houses of Parliament, Leadbeater, who has shown no previous interest in the topic of assisted suicide, was offered alternative bills to bring forward. Tragically, Leadbeater chose to introduce a bill that empowers the state to help people died by suicide.
It is important to note that because of how the U.K. works, this bill will only apply in England and Wales. There is a separate assisted suicide bill being considered by parliamentarians in Scotland. And while there is currently no assisted suicide legislation before the Northen Ireland Assembly, there has been growing pressure to debate a change of law.
What does the U.K. assisted suicide bill do?
The Terminally Ill Adults Bill amends the 1961 Suicide Act by making it permissible to assist a terminally ill adult with six months or less to live to die by suicide. This is the biggest social change in generations, arguably on par with the passing of the 1967 Abortion Act which has seen millions of lives lost.
The so-called “safeguards” included in the law require a sign off by two doctors and a High Court judge, all of whom must be satisfied there is no coercion or exploitation involved and the patient is of sound mind.
If this assisted suicide bill passes its remaining parliamentary stages, it will forever alter the doctor/patient relationship, introducing an element of doubt as patients and family wonder if their doctor will push assisted suicide as an option. Sadly, it is far cheaper to kill a patient than to spend time and use resources to kill their pain.
Additionally, this bill would put pressure on the most vulnerable in our communities to think seriously about whether they should end their own lives. Furthermore, if this bill becomes law, the limitation to patients with six months or less to live will likely be increased through the years. In every jurisdiction where assisted suicide has been introduced, the legislation has been expanded over time to include more and more people.
However, the true impact of this bill goes far deeper. The fundamental problem with the legislation is it empowers people to play God. Yet, Scripture teaches us that it is the Lord who gives and takes life (1 Sam. 2:6). Many in U.K.’s society worship the false god of autonomy, believing there is no true God to hold us accountable. We are a culture that is living proof of Romans 1:18-32; in this instance, the Lord has given us over to our sin, and the chaos around us will only be exacerbated by this dangerous, deadly bill.
What’s next with the U.K. assisted suicide bill?
The fact this bill has passed its second reading in Parliament does not guarantee it will become law. There are several more steps needed for it to become law, and only 30 MPs need to change their minds during future votes in order to stop the bill.
CARE (Christian Action Research and Education), the organization I work for, is continuing to work to see this bill defeated. At the same time, we are supporting allies who want to ensure that palliative care—a holistic approach to caring for patients that attends to all their pain, be it physical, mental, emotional or spiritual—receives more funding so it is more widely available.
What can Christians do about the U.K. assisted suicide bill?
As dark as the situation is, it is not beyond the reach and power of the God of life. Therefore, our response must be two-fold.
1. First, we must continue to hold out the gospel of God’s saving grace, telling people that Jesus came to deliver those in slavery to the fear of death (Heb. 2:15). Many people support assisted suicide because they are afraid to die and to suffer. They need to see Jesus, their own sin and need of salvation, and his purposes in their pain.
2. Secondly, we must continue to promote a culture of life. At the heart of the debates around assisted suicide is a fundamental philosophical difference. Supporters of assisted suicide look at a patient with months left to live and concede it would be better if they did not exist. We, as followers of Jesus, look at the same patient and say, “Despite all of your suffering and weakness, it is good that you exist! It is good that you are here.”
The first message is filled with despair and hopelessness as assisted suicide is presented as a way of escaping pain. CARE and other Christian groups should continue to sound a message of hope and love that asserts true dignity in dying is not found in swallowing lethal drugs. It is found in having your God-given dignity affirmed. All of us who follow Jesus must play our part by walking with those who are suffering at the end of their lives by helping to carry their burdens (Gal. 6:10).
Please join me in praying this assisted suicide bill will yet be defeated. May God confound worldly wisdom and preserve the status quo across the U.K. where assisted suicide is illegal and where time and money are invested in ensuring everyone who needs palliative care receives the very best we can offer.
