Bishops Jonathan and Simon have written to clergy and lay ministers outlining their concerns about the move to legalise assisted dying.
"As Bishop Simon and I have reflected on our own experience of sitting with those who are dying and listened to medical experts and weighed the international evidence, we have found ourselves deeply concerned by the move to legalise assisted dying."
Their letter comes ahead of the debate on assisted dying which will take place in Parliament on 29 November in the form of the Second Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.
In the letter they acknowledge how emotive the issue is and that they understand that there will be many different views on the matter.
They encourage church leaders to talk, read, and pray about the issue, and to write to their MPs if they feel moved to do so.
Read their letter in full below.
Dear Sisters and Brothers
Assisted Dying
As the debate on assisted dying reaches Parliament in the form of the Second Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on November 29, Bishop Simon and I wanted to reach out to share our thoughts on the matter. We know this topic is hugely emotive. As the media turns their attention to this proposed legislation, we will naturally find our memories turning to the time we’ve spent with loved ones in their final days.
Not all of us will agree on this matter. As a society we talk about death so little and it would be natural if you are still weighing this issue.
As Bishop Simon and I have reflected on our own experience of sitting with those who are dying and listened to medical experts and weighed the international evidence, we have found ourselves deeply concerned by the move to legalise assisted dying. Such concern echoes the General Synod which has twice voted, with a significant majority, against the legalisation of assisted dying, in 2012 and 2022.
This opposition has always been grounded in a concern for the welfare of the most vulnerable in society: for older people, those living with dementia or in poverty; those whose disability puts them at risk or are in coercive relationships.
Please do talk about these issues, read about them and, of course, pray about all of this. If you find yourself moved by concern, please write to your MP, expressing your thoughts and acknowledging the weight of responsibility which they must feel about this issue. MPs consider their post carefully and are especially moved when many letters are written to them with a similar view but expressed in different ways.
We have included a three-page briefing paper with this letter which may assist you in your thinking, writing and debating. You are welcome to share this letter and the briefing paper with colleagues and parishioners if you feel this
appropriate.
Regardless of where your deliberation takes you, please know that we are praying for you: that as you consider what it means to minister to the sick and to prepare the dying for their death, you would better know the God who accompanies us in Christ through death and resurrection into the new creation.
Yours in Christ,
Bishop Jonathan Gibbs
Bishop of Rochester
Bishop Simon Burton-Jones
Bishop of Tonbridge