LEICESTER, United Kingdom – Ireland’s top archbishop is calling on citizens in both the north and south of the island to work against the legalization of assisted suicide.
Archbishop Eamon Martin of Armagh in Northern Ireland is the Primate of All Ireland, and noted the issue was being considered by politicians in both London and Dublin this week.
Earlier this month, Labour MP Kim Leadbeater announced she was introducing a private members Bill in the British Parliament in Westminster. This would allow terminally ill, mentally competent people to end their own life with a doctor’s assistance.
Meanwhile, in the Republic of Ireland on Thursday, the Final Report of the Joint Committee on Assisted Dying will be discussed by Oireachtas members in the lower house of the Irish parliament. This report recommended that the Irish government “introduces legislation allowing for assisted dying, in certain restricted circumstances as set out in the recommendations in this report.”
Martin called on people to voice their opposition to legalizing assisted suicide in both countries.
“For all those who cherish a culture of life across these islands, the introduction of laws to permit assisted suicide is an affront to a safe and protective society. Such legislation should be strongly opposed,” the archbishop said.
“As a society we are defined by the extent to which we care for our most vulnerable persons including those suffering from disabilities, terminal illness or otherwise nearing the end of life,” he continued.
“While this is a Gospel imperative, it is noteworthy that medical and healthcare professionals are also gravely concerned at an evolving political ideology which would interfere with their calling to ‘do no harm’ and which would legally erode the right to life at all stages,” Martin said.
Many people with disabilities have expressed concern that legalizing assisted suicide is a threat to people most in need of medical aid.
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Actress Liz Carr from the television shows “Silent Witness” and “Good Omens” was diagnosed with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita – a rare genetic disorder in her muscles and joints – when she was seven.
“For somebody who loses their job or a loved one and is left feeling suicidal, others will rally around and support them with suicide prevention help,” she told the Daily Mail.
“But as soon as that’s a disabled or ill person, people think it’s fine for them to have a medically-assisted death. They think it’s better to be dead than to be disabled,” Carr said.
Freya Papworth, who supported legalized euthanasia before she became disabled told Disabled News Service that at the time, she thought assisted suicide was “nothing more than an individual’s right to choose their own death if faced with terminal pain and suffering.”
“Now that I am disabled and have spent time with other disabled people campaigning for basic rights, I cannot support the rather euphemistic ‘assisted dying’ bill. This country has been found to have committed human rights abuses against its disabled population due to the terrible consequences of decades of cuts to social welfare and social care,” she said.
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Some form of assisted suicide is legal in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, parts of the United States and all six states of Australia.
Gordon Macdonald, CEO for Care Not Killing, last month noted the expansion of the use of assisted dying in the countries where it has been legalized.
“At a time when we see how quickly the safeguards in countries like Canada, Belgium and the Netherlands have been eroded so disabled people and those with mental health problems, even eating disorders are now being euthanised, I would strongly urge the Government to focus on fixing our broken palliative care system that sees up to one in four Brits who would benefit from this type of care being unable to access it, rather than discussing again this dangerous and ideological policy. With suicides in the UK being at record levels financial worries and the NHS in crisis, now is not the time to encourage or facilitate more suicides by legalising assisted suicide and euthanasia,” he said.
In his message, Martin urged all people of goodwill to contact their parliamentarians as soon as possible to ask them to reject any law legalizing assisted suicide.
“I ask voters to contact their [members of parliament] and senators to ascertain their commitment to protecting end of life care, and to seek inclusion in election manifestos for investment to enhance palliative care and hospice provision,” the archbishop said.
Follow Charles Collins on X: @CharlesinRome
