With a final vote on the difficulty of assisted suicide expected in Westminster on 20 June, a lot of Christian groups have united in calling for a national day of prayer in opposition to the proposals.
At present there are two pieces of laws geared toward legalising assisted suicide in play, one within the Scottish Parliament for Scotland and one other separate bill in Westminster for England and Wales. Both bills have made progress, although there are signs that some parliamentarians who previously voted in favour of the bills are actually prone to abstain and even vote against.
The Christian Institute, Affinity, CARE, the Christian Medical Fellowship, Christian Concern and the Evangelical Alliance have banded together in calling for 11 June to be a day for British Christians to wish concerning the issue.
Simon Calvert, Deputy Director of The Christian Institute, said, “We hope Christians across the UK will join us in prayer against dangerous attempts to legalise assisted suicide. No so-called safeguards could make these Bills ‘secure’.
“We must ask God to open more politicians’ eyes to the bitter reality that ‘assisted dying’ means helping suicidal people to kill themselves. We thank God that many are already opposing these Bills and we are able to pray that more will find the courage to talk out.”
Reports suggest there may very well be a major variety of ‘waverers’ who’ve previously voted in favour of the assisted suicide bills so as to have out the controversy, but may vote against the proposal or abstain when the ultimate decision comes.
One such MP is the Lib Dem Brian Mathew, who said he felt the bill poses a risk to vulnerable people approaching the top of their lives.
Although he voted in favour of the bill at second reading, Mathew recently said in an email to his Melksham and Devizes constituency, “I share the concerns of many constituents that individuals facing terminal illness will take the choice based on concerns that they’ve turn out to be a burden upon their family. This is a serious concern for me; I worry that in someone’s final days, this query will loom heavy when it doesn’t must.”
Although Mathew conceded that those on the opposite side of the difficulty had made “eloquent and difficult” speeches, in the long run he felt that they’d did not adequately address the concerns of those against the bill.
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