Assisted suicide is back on the legislative agenda with Baroness Meacher’s private member’s bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales for terminally ill adults in their final six months of life. Two independent doctors and a High Court judge would have to assess the request. A second reading is expected in the autumn.
When a similar measure came before parliament in 2015, bishops were at the forefront of opposition. This time, a pressure group of religious leaders has been formed to support the move. Its chairman is Rabbi Jonathan Romain, who declares that “We support a change in the law on assisted dying because of our faith, not in spite of it.” Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, has joined the group, saying. “Compassion, a central tenet of the Christian faith, should not be a crime.”
