Dublin, Ireland, Jun 19, 2025 / 13:32 pm (CNA).
Two prominent archbishops in England have said that if the End of Life Bill set for a final vote in Parliament on Friday passes, Catholic hospices and care homes may have no choice but to shut down.
In a statement about the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill about to face its Third Reading on Friday in British Parliament, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, and Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, who oversees life issues, said: “We call attention to the fact that the future of many care homes and hospices will be put in grave doubt if the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill becomes law.”
Nichols and Sherrington also addressed the protection amendments to the bill that have been rejected.
“Our Parliament has now rejected amendments that would have allowed such institutions not to be involved in assisted suicide,” they said. “Minister Stephen Kinnock, MP [member of Parliament]; Kim Leadbeater, MP; as well as other MPs indicated that the rights that this bill will give to individuals to seek assisted suicide, and to employees to participate in an assisted suicide, are likely to trump the mission and values of institutions such as hospices and care homes.”
They continued: “In other words, a right to assisted suicide given to individuals is highly likely to become a duty on care homes and hospices to facilitate it. We fear that this bill will thereby seriously affect the provision of social care and palliative care across the country.”
“The insufficient protections provided by the bill, along with the tone of the discussion surrounding the amendment and comments from its sponsors, indicate a strong possibility that Catholic hospices and care homes may be compelled to participate in assisted suicide if the bill is approved.”
Nichols, who has been an outspoken opponent of the Assisted Suicide Bill, and Sherrington said in their statement: “Institutions whose mission has always been to provide compassionate care in sickness or old age, and to provide such care until the end of life, may have no choice, in the face of these demands, but to withdraw from the provision of such care.”
The statement also addressed the damage this bill may do to the relationship that Catholic care facilities have with their local communities. “The widespread support which hospices attract from local communities will also be undermined by these demands which, in many cases, will require these institutions to act contrary to their traditional and principled foundations,” they said.
The archbishops urged the defeat of the bill. “This tragedy can only be avoided by the defeat of this bill on Friday,” they said.
Representatives of Catholic care facilities have voiced their concerns in evidence provided to Parliament legislators.
St. Gemma’s is a hospice in Leeds, England, and during the committee stage of the bill told MPs: “If compliance with assisted dying provision becomes a condition for NHS [National Health Service] funding, institutions like St. Gemma’s may have no alternative but to cease operations entirely.”
In October 2024, St. Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney, East London, warned that “as a Catholic hospice, our position is that assisted dying plays no part in our specialist palliative care practice and is not consistent with our ethos or values.”
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Yes, that is the point. It is far less taxing (pun not entirely intended) on the gov’t purse to euthanize people than care for them.
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Socialism is great. So is gov’t funded free medical services. But eventually, the money runs out.
A lot of the money is spent in unneeded testing and unrealistic medical procedures (at least in the states). Then we throw away perfectly healthy beings with a lifetime of potential ahead of them.
We end up where we are today.
The Daily Mail has an article claiming Social Security & Medicare will not be able to pay monthly benefits in full in less than 8 years. It references the AARP. AARP lobbied in the past against healthcare professionals being allowed to have conscience rights in cases of euthanasia. It all fits together.
One of many reasons I never have and never will join AARP.
Nor I, Miss Mary.
AARP offers free supper nights for older people in our area with guest speakers. I’ve tried in vain to point out to other Catholic parishoners what AARP is up to but the free meal’s just too good a draw I guess.
It has been known for well over 30 years (I read about it in high school back in 1986 or so) that Soc Sec and especially Medicare were going to be in trouble. And look, we have nearly arrived at that point.
Precisely the purpose of the “Retro-Gressive” Party.
Then they will all monetize the murder, and call themselves virtuous.
It’s amazing how a few tug at heart stories such as Esther Ransom can hood wink MPs devoid of any notion of Christianity who will pass this bill today! Random and Leadbeater will have a lot to answer for on their particular judgement!! This will, with the abortion rules this week facilitate the turning of England in to a Muslim country
Possibly, since Muslims won’t permit abortion (or infanticide) or euthanasia among their followers.
Just like they don’t allow sodomy, except in Afghanistan with Bacha Bazi (and probably among the rich and privately “protected”). I am sure if there is money on the line, the Muslims will allow all manner of things. They are human, just like Christians, and Christians allow tons of stuff that God would rather us not.
Why is it that so many things that are advertised and marketed to us as “freedom” are then delivered as tyranny? “We just want freedom to end our lives” collapses into “we demand you kill us, or go out of business, or find another profession (the last is what Hilary said about medical providers who do not want to do abortions). We have seen this many, many times before.
The last stages of life offer multigenerational opportunities for increased Faith, Hope, and Love and the actions they inspire. Redefining compassion, Satan and worldly-minded men with a naturally humanist/materialist/fake core have joined together and intend to eliminate every endeavor that accentuates the truth and a divinely created value system. This is an existential struggle. DON’T THINK FOR ONE SECOND THAT IT WILL STOP HERE.
Hospice and care home staff won’t be under a duty to admit doctors who are involved in the procedure for assisted dying – they can exclude them and give them notice that they’re trespassers if they enter.
I’ve read that in some nations, hospices aren’t given much of a choice about that. And truthfully, even our local non-profit hospice that has a member of the Catholic clergy on board aired a film produced by a foundation promoting euthanasia. Euthanasia’s getting more & more embedded in the culture & we’re not paying enough attention.
Michael, are you talking about England (UK) ?
Yes, AARP supports assisted suicide/euthanasia. I believe CARP (Canadian) does too.
The right to die will soon be the duty to die. Already, there is a gentle or not-so-gentle nudge in that direction.