The House of Commons voted to reject the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill last week. Some 286 MPs voted against the proposed legislation and 270 in favour, ending another attempt to introduce assisted suicide in England and Wales. The Bill, which was introduced by the MP for Rochester and Strood, Lauren Edwards, would have legalised assisted suicide for people aged 18 and over who are expected to die within six months.
The bishops of England and Wales had focused extensively on encouraging the faithful to contact their MPs to vote against the Bill, which was a reintroduction of the legislation introduced by Kim Leadbeater and which fell in the House of Lords in April.
With two assisted suicide Bills falling in one year, one can still expect that the issue will not go away. Across Europe, and with similar legislation being considered elsewhere in Great Britain, assisted suicide has been steadily introduced while the Church has consistently voiced its opposition. A moment of respite for the Church in England and Wales, it will no doubt be keeping its eyes on what the next moves made by assisted suicide campaigners will be.
The UK Government is set to remove historic restrictions against Catholics advising the monarch on appointments to the Church of England and Church of Scotland. The issue was raised by Prime Minister Andy Burnham after he appointed the Lord Chancellor, Alex Norris, to oversee the role, one which Burnham is forbidden to take part in as a Catholic.
To change the provisions, the Government will introduce a Bill to repeal the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 and the Jews Relief Act 1858, allowing Catholic and Jewish people to advise the King. The Government is unlikely to have much trouble passing such legislation, which has previously seen calls to revise what Burnham called an “antiquated and archaic anomaly”.
Assisted suicide became law in Illinois on Saturday, but on Friday a court granted a temporary reprieve to two religious orders and a pharmacist who filed suit against the state earlier in September. That suit, along with another from the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois, is ongoing. A federal judge granted temporary relief to the Catholic healthcare providers on 11 September, preventing Illinois from enforcing the law against them while the case proceeds.
The midterm elections are growing closer in the United States. The Republican National Convention recently held its first-ever GOP Midterm Convention, and some of the races are starting to heat up.
Early voting begins on Friday in Virginia and other states. Virginia voters will consider two constitutional amendments concerning abortion and same-sex marriage. The state’s Catholic bishops have begun the “Catholics Vote No” campaign to mobilise Catholics against the measures. Early voting in Virginia begins on 18 September.
President Donald Trump is returning to the United States after a trip to Ireland. He recently proposed a “Trump Dividend” payment of $5,000 to every adult American if Republicans retain control of both houses of Congress in the November midterm elections. The proposal would require congressional approval.
