THE Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd Sarah Mullally, have met the Labour MP Kim Leadbeater to discuss her Private Member’s Bill to legalise assisted dying, which both bishops oppose.
The meeting at Lambeth Palace on Monday was described by Ms Leadbeater as “good and positive” in a statement on Thursday. Beyond confirming that the meeting, described as private, took place at Lambeth Palace, Archbishop Welby’s office has made no comment.
Ms Leadbeater said that she had also met a former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, and Rabbi Jonathan Romain, at her office in Parliament. Both are vocal in their support of assisted dying (Comment, 13 October 2023).
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow life-ending medical help for terminally ill adults with no more than six months to live, in England and Wales (Leader comment and Press, 11 October). The Bill is due to be debated on 29 November, and MPs will be given a free vote.
It had its First Reading earlier this month. Archbishop Welby, alongside the Archbishop of York and other serving bishops, has made his opposition clear, saying that the Bill would risk causing “millions of vulnerable people” to feel that they had a “duty” to end their lives (News, 18 October).
After the meeting with Ms Leadbeater, Bishop Mullally issued a letter on behalf of the Lords’ Spiritual, setting out the position of the Church of England. The General Synod, she pointed out, has voted twice, with a significant majority, against the legalisation of assisted suicide: in 2012 (News, 10 February 2012), and again in 2022 (News, 1 July 2022).
“This opposition has always been grounded in a concern for the welfare of the most vulnerable: in biblical terms the widow, the orphan and the stranger,” Bishop Mullally wrote. “However, it is not the case that there is a ‘religious view’ and a ‘secular view’ on these issues. People of faith and those ascribing to a variety of philosophies of life hold a wide range of differing views on these deeply complex matters.”
She also acknowledged: “I realise that for deeply personal reasons as well as theological convictions we may stand in different places in this debate.”
This point was welcomed by Ms Leadbeater in her statement on Thursday.
But Bishop Mullally went on to warn of the “unintended consequences” of the Bill. “Giving choice to some will take choice away from others, especially the most vulnerable in our society: the elderly, those living in poverty, those who are at risk because they are disabled, and those in coercive relationships. It will widen the existing health inequalities which are such a scar on our national life.”
And she agreed with Archbishop’s Welby’s argument that “One person’s understanding of quality of life is not always somebody else’s. The change in legislation will risk an increasing number of people seeing themselves as a burden, in spite of wanting to live.”
Ms Leadbeater concluded her statement: “It is extremely important to me to listen to the wide range of views on this most serious of subjects, including those of religious leaders and faith communities. I know there are strongly held views and opinions, and, whilst I am clear that the law needs to change, I remain determined to play my part in facilitating a robust, respectful and compassionate debate.”
If passed, her Bill would, she said, “quite rightly” be subject to scrutiny by a committee of MPs, and in further debate in the House of Commons, before going to the House of Lords for consideration.