Christians on Ageing (CoA) continue to monitor, with interest and concern, proposals to introduce legislation on Assisted Dying in England and Wales. Following the failure of Kim Leadbetter’s Private Member’s Bill to proceed beyond the House of Lords’ Committee Stage, the same bill is being reintroduced by Lauren Edwards MP and will be debated on Friday 11th September.
CoA used part of their Annual Conference in 2024 to discuss the whole subject of Assisted Dying, and while recognising that Christians and other people of faith hold a wide variety of views on the issue, we raised three specific areas of concern where we feel older people, and those who care for them, need safeguards that guarantee people have the best options and the best possible law to protect them.
Capacity – For older people, as for anyone, ensuring that they have the capacity to make such an irrevocable decision as seeking an assisted death is vital. This will place a burden on both family and professional carers.
Coercion – The danger of older people feeling that opting for an assisted death is in their loved ones’ best interest is real, given the financial and emotional cost of supporting older relatives towards the end of life. Safeguarding them from any form of coercion is essential.
Context – For older people living in communal residential settings, decisions around assisted dying will have a profound effect on that community. The impact on staff, volunteers and visitors as well as other residents will be significant, and it may have a detrimental effect on the already difficult area of staff recruitment. CoA also has a long-standing interest in the lives of older prisoners, and we share the concern of many prison chaplains about the implications of the proposed legislation for them.
In holding in our prayers Members of Parliament who will debate this matter once again, CoA cherishes the words of Dame Cecily Saunders who said of those in her care, “You matter because you are you, and you matter until the end of your life. We will do all that we can not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die.”
