The Bishop of London has warned of the ‘serious risk’ that people would opt for ‘assisted dying’ because they felt a burden – with the risks multiplied by the pressures on the NHS and social care – should the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill come into force in England and Wales.

In a submission to the Terminally Ill Adults Bill Committee, Bishop Sarah Mullally, a former Chief Nursing Officer, says there are no measures in the proposed legislation nor are there safeguards that could prevent people opting for assisted suicide because they felt a burden, should the Bill come into force.

Evidence from Oregon and Washington state in the US and Canada where ‘assisted dying’ is legal shows between 43 per cent and 59 per cent of people who opted to die by assisted suicide reported feeling a burden, she says.

The danger of this happening in the UK would be exacerbated by the pressures on adult social care, in which people increasingly pay for care, she says, and the long-term challenges facing the NHS and palliative care.

“The Church of England’s opposition to the Terminally Ill Adults Bill is rooted in the impact the Bill would have on the most vulnerable members of society,” she says.

“This is a concern shared by people of many different faiths as well as people with no faith.”

She adds: “The irreducible value of every human person means that no one is a burden, every life is precious, every life is worthy of care. No one should feel compelled to hasten their own death.

“For centuries this has been an unquestioned societal assumption, acting as a bedrock for social and relational flourishing.

“During the last year it has been particularly concerning to see some high-profile social commentators argue that feeling like a burden is actually an appropriate reason to pursue assisted suicide.”

In her submission, Bishop Sarah says that it is ‘inevitable’ that the legalisation of assisted suicide would change attitudes to the end of life.

A ‘key concern’ is that for those with complex social, economic or health needs, the introduction of assisted suicide as a ‘treatment’ option in one set of circumstances, might over time come to be considered as an option in other cases, she says.

It is ‘particularly striking’ that in Canada – where Medical Assistance in Dying (Maid) was first introduced in 2016 – a recent poll found that 27% of people ‘would be fine’ with legalising assisted suicide for those whose were homeless or those in poverty.

Other points raised in the submission include:

• Health inequalities for disabled people, people living in poverty and people from ethnic minority backgrounds are already well documented but they are not taken into account by the Bill.
• The right to conscientious objection should be expanded from those involved in the ‘provision of assistance’ of assisted suicide, to include supervision, management, or involvement in the administrative requirements . There should also be a right of conscientious objection for every member of multi disciplinary teams.