THE Bishops of the Church in Wales have joined other faith leaders in urging the Senedd to withhold legislative consent to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. “Wales deserves higher than this proposed laws,” they wrote in an announcement released last week.
“Wales has an extended and proud tradition of compassion and of valuing the dignity of each human life. True compassion doesn’t mean ending a life. It means accompanying those that suffer, easing their pain, supporting families, and ensuring that nobody feels abandoned, a burden, or without price,” the statement continued.
The 300-word document opposes the Government’s plan and “the intense implications it will have for Wales”. It asks people of religion to write down to their Senedd member before the Legislative Consent Motion is debated on Tuesday.
The statement was co-ordinated by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. The signatories include the Bishops of the Church in Wales, and representatives of the Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, and Sikh communities, the Free Church, and the Evangelical Alliance in Wales
The faith leaders set out their concerns, on the subject of a shared “common heritage of caring for the vulnerable, the sick and dying”.
“If this bill is implemented in Wales, many will feel insecure in regards to the future and conclude that they’re a burden on family members and the health service. Cherishing life means constructing a society where no one is seen as a burden. We must treasure and value the vulnerable, the sick and the dying amongst us.”
The Welsh faith leaders referred to the “need to advertise excellent palliative care, including support for the hospice movement. Wales has an extended and proud tradition of compassion and of valuing the dignity of each human life. True compassion doesn’t mean ending a life. It means accompanying those that suffer, easing their pain, supporting families, and ensuring that nobody feels abandoned, a burden, or without price.”
In the last Census, in 2021, 43.6 per cent of individuals in Wales reported their religion to be Christian, a 14-per-cent increase increase from the previous Census, ten years before. The “No religion” respondents increased by 14.5 per cent, as compared with England and Wales overall.
