Lobby your MSP against assisted suicide
The Catholic Parliamentary Office has called on parishioners across Scotland to lobby MSPs against dangerous proposals to legalise assisted suicide.
A briefing, which has been sent to every Catholic parish in the country, asks parishioners to contact local MSPs, either as individuals or as part of an organised parish group.
Anthony Horan, Director of the Catholic Parliamentary Office, said: “The Catholic community in Scotland was key to stopping assisted suicide in 2010 and 2015.
"We need them to step up once again.
"Please help us to stop death by prescription in Scotland and to call for better palliative care instead. We should be caring for people, not killing them.”
Among the dangers outlined in the briefing:
- Assisted suicide undermines efforts to provide good palliative care by providing a quick, cheap alternative.
- It undermines efforts to prevent suicide by suggesting that sometimes suicide is an appropriate response to an individual’s circumstances, worries and anxieties.
- It pressurises vulnerable people, including the elderly and disabled, to end their lives prematurely through fear of being a burden on family, caregivers and the state.
The church also points out that assisted suicide is uncontrollable.
In every country where assisted suicide and/or euthanasia is legal, safeguards have been eroded and eligibility criteria expanded to now include people with arthritis, anorexia, autism and dementia. It has also been extended to include children.
Liam McArthur MSP is expected to publish a Bill later this year proposing the legalisation of assisted suicide.
Catholic parishioners and others are urged to visit the website Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office website for guidance on contacting MSPs.
Webinar on the dangers of Assisted Suicide
A webinar titled 'Assisted Suicide: The Dangers' will consider the outcome of the potential legalising of assisted suicide in Scotland, and what you can do to help prevent it.
It takes place this Thursday (31 August) at 7:00pm and you can register here.
Liam McArthur MSP is expected to publish proposals to legalise assisted suicide later this year
This webinar will consider what those proposals will look like and, breaking them down, explain why assisted suicide is a very bad idea.
It aims to equip you with the key arguments against assisted suicide and provide you with advice on how to share your concerns most effectively with MSPs.
Speakers
Dr Gillian Wright is a former palliative care doctor in Glasgow who now works as a researcher in medical ethics for the Scottish Council for Human Bioethics. Gillian also works for Care not Killing as the Director of their campaign Our Duty of Care which brings together health care professionals opposed to the introduction of assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Brian Cairns is a retired teacher with trade union experience. Brian has previous involvement with local community political campaigning and, along with members of St Margaret’s Church Clydebank and the wider community, has established a campaign group to oppose proposals to legalise assisted suicide.
Anthony Horan is Director of the Catholic Parliamentary Office of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland. Anthony, a qualified lawyer, has significant experience in political engagement on a wide range of issues, including assisted suicide. Anthony is also a member of the Care Not Killing steering group.
For further details and to register, please click here. Webinar organised by the Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office.
Assisted Suicide: The Dangers
Later this year Liam McArthur MSP is expected to publish proposals to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland.
Join us for this webinar to consider what those proposals will look like and, breaking them down, explain why assisted suicide is a very bad idea.
We aim to equip you with the key arguments against assisted suicide and provide you with advice on how to share your concerns most effectively with MSPs.
Online, Thursday 31 August at 7:00pm. Register here.
Speakers
Dr Gillian Wright is a former palliative care doctor in Glasgow who now works as a researcher in medical ethics for the Scottish Council for Human Bioethics. Gillian also works for Care not Killing as the Director of their campaign Our Duty of Care which brings together health care professionals opposed to the introduction of assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Brian Cairns is a retired teacher with trade union experience. Brian has previous involvement with local community political campaigning and, along with members of St Margaret’s Church Clydebank and the wider community, has established a campaign group to oppose proposals to legalise assisted suicide.
Anthony Horan is Director of the Catholic Parliamentary Office of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland. Anthony, a qualified lawyer, has significant experience in political engagement on a wide range of issues, including assisted suicide. Anthony is also a member of the Care Not Killing steering group.
Event organised by the Catholic Parliamentary Office for Scotland.
Catholic Church campaigns against Assisted Suicide Proposal
The Catholic Church in Scotland has restated its opposition to a new attempt to legalise assisted suicide.
While the church together with a wide range of other organisations supports the Care Not Killing group it has separately criticised the prospect of another consultation on the subject.
Anthony Horan, Director of the Catholic Parliamentary Office, said: "This is the third time in little over a decade that the Scottish Parliament has been asked to legalise assisted suicide.
"Despite the underlying arguments not having changed we are once again being confronted with the frightening proposal that doctors be legally permitted to help patients kill themselves by providing them with a lethal cocktail of drugs.”
Pressure on vulnerable people
He added: “Over the last eighteen months society has been reoriented to protect the most ill and vulnerable in response to the pandemic.
"Legalising assisted suicide moves in the opposite direction: putting immeasurable pressure on vulnerable people including those with disabilities to end their lives prematurely, for fear of being a financial, emotional or care burden on others.”
Mr Horan restated the Catholic church position that “Once passed, incremental extensions and the removal of protections and safeguards are inevitable and have happened everywhere legislation has been passed.”
He called on MSP’s to “prevent suicide, not assist it” and urged Catholics to “engage with elected representatives to warn them of the serious dangers of assisted suicide and the deadly and irreparable consequences of its legalisation.”
- Read the briefing on assisted suicide here.
- The Archdiocese is hosting an event with Dr Gillian Wright titled 'Dying Well: How quality palliative care is the alternative to assisted suicide'. It takes place on Zoom (webinar) at 7:45pm on Tuesday 5 October. Register now at: bit.ly/DyingWellEvent
EVENT: Bioethics Day to help Catholics combat culture of death
Assisted suicide is a massive issue today. What's the Catholic view and what's the role of palliative care in resisting the culture of death?
Dr David Jones (below) knows all about the issues. He is Professor of Bioethics at St Mary's University in Twickenham and speaks at our Bioethics Day at the Gillis Centre, Edinburgh, on Saturday 25th January.
He will give a Catholic view of assisted suicide focusing on the theological, pastoral and legalistic issues. He will also describe his experience as Director of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre in Oxford.
At this year's SPUC Scotland conference, delegates heard about the combined efforts of medical groups and politicians to embed the practice of assisted suicide into the United Kingdom.
It follows the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) announcing that its position on assisted suicide would move from one of opposition to neutrality.
Dr Gordon Macdonald, of Care Not Killing, warned that politicians were steadily beginning to embrace the concept of assisted suicide. In 2010, 65.9% of Westminster politicians opposed assisted suicide. However, currently, only 35.6% of Westminster politicians oppose assisted suicide with 37.5% ‘unknown’.
SPUC Deputy Chief Executive, John Deighan said: “There is a concerted move by the euthanasia lobby to get the medical bodies on side before attempting legislation. They appear to have identified the move to a neutral position as a way of gaining momentum for their cause.
“We must work to enhance life for sick, disabled and elderly people, not pass a law which offers them death as a solution to their problems.
“The current law protects every citizen, especially the elderly, sick and disabled. Offering people the choice to end their lives creates unacceptable pressure for them to choose death. It is vital that we resist all attempts to embed the abhorrent practice of assisted suicide into society".
Bioethics Day, Gillis Centre, 100 Stathearn Road, Edinburgh. 11:00am to 2:30pm (registration from 10:30am). Light lunch provided. Register now for this free event at Eventbrite.
