Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) - Update

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill:- 

You will no doubt be aware the Bill began its Third Reading on Friday, with only two of 130 amendments being addressed. The Bill will further be debated on 13th June. Based solely on Parliamentary process various UK news channels reported that there are grave concerns about the Bill, one MP saying that if the Second Reading of the Bill last November showed Parliamentary debate at its best, the debate this time showed quite the opposite!

Mindful that all life is God given, and faithful to Holy Mother Church on these matters, we continue to pray about this Bill, that the Rights of the Creator may also be respected, and that we do all we can to uphold the dignity of human life. It is worth reading Declaration “Dignitas Infinita” on Human Dignity (2 April 2024) from the Dicastery on Doctrine and Faith, to be reminded of who we are in the eyes of God and how we should see one another as being made to the image and likeness of God and our lives being a gift from God.

12. The rights here spoken of, belonging to each individual man, are seen in much stronger light when considered in relation to man's social and domestic obligations. In choosing a state of life, it is indisputable that all are at full liberty to follow the counsel of Jesus Christ as to observing virginity, or to bind themselves by the marriage tie. No human law can abolish the natural and original right of marriage, nor in any way limit the chief and principal purpose of marriage ordained by God's authority from the beginning: "Increase and multiply."(3) Hence we have the family, the "society" of a man's house - a society very small, one must admit, but none the less a true society, and one older than any State. Consequently, it has rights and duties peculiar to itself which are quite independent of the State.

Rerum Novarum," meaning "Of New Things," is a papal encyclical by Pope Leo XIII addressing the social and economic issues arising from the Industrial Revolution. It outlines the Catholic Church's position on labor-capital relations, critiquing both unregulated capitalism and socialism while advocating for a just social order. The encyclical emphasizes the rights of workers, the responsibility of employers, and the role of government in promoting social justice. Here's a more detailed breakdown:

Key Themes:

• Social Justice: "Rerum Novarum" addresses the plight of the working class and argues for a social order based on justice and the common good.

• Rights of Labor: The encyclical supports the right of workers to form unions and collectively bargain, and it emphasizes the importance of fair wages and safe working conditions.

• Role of Government: It calls for the government to protect the poor and vulnerable, to enforce just laws, and to ensure that all citizens have the opportunity to participate in society.

• Critique of Capitalism and Socialism: "Rerum Novarum" rejects both unrestricted capitalism, which it argues can lead to exploitation and injustice, and socialism, which it views as a threat to private property and individual liberty.

• Principle of Subsidiarity: The encyclical also outlines the principle of subsidiarity, which suggests that societal problems should be addressed at the lowest level of organization possible, with higher levels of authority assisting only when necessary. Influence:

• "Rerum Novarum" is considered a foundational text of Catholic social teaching and has influenced subsequent papal encyclicals and social thought.

• It has been cited as a source of inspiration for social justice movements and policies around the world. In essence, "Rerum Novarum" provides a blueprint for a just social order that respects both individual rights and the needs of society as a whole, while also acknowledging the complexities and challenges of modern economic life

Several main themes run through the text that are addressed from a variety of different perspectives, thus traversing and unifying the text: - the intimate relationship between the poor and the fragility of the planet, - the conviction that everything in the world is connected, - the critique of new paradigms and forms of power derived from technology, - the call to seek other ways of understanding the economy and progress, - the value proper to each creature, - the human meaning of ecology, - the need for forthright and honest debate, - the serious responsibility of international and local policy, - the throwaway culture and the proposal of a new lifestyle (16)

CARITAS IN VERITATE

3. Through this close link with truth, charity can be recognized as an authentic expression of humanity and as an element of fundamental importance in human relations, including those of a public nature. Only in truth does charity shine forth, only in truth can charity be authentically lived. Truth is the light that gives meaning and value to charity. That light is both the light of reason and the light of faith, through which the intellect attains to the natural and supernatural truth of charity: it grasps its meaning as gift, acceptance, and communion. Without truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality. Love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way. In a culture without truth, this is the fatal risk facing love. It falls prey to contingent subjective emotions and opinions, the word “love” is abused and distorted, to the point where it comes to mean the opposite. Truth frees charity from the constraints of an emotionalism that deprives it of relational and social content, and of a fideism that deprives it of human and universal breathing-space. In the truth, charity reflects the personal yet public dimension of faith in the God of the Bible, who is both Agápe and Lógos: Charity and Truth, Love and Word.

5. Charity is love received and given. It is “grace” (cháris). Its source is the wellspring of the Father's love for the Son, in the Holy Spirit. Love comes down to us from the Son. It is creative love, through which we have our being; it is redemptive love, through which we are recreated. Love is revealed and made present by Christ (cf. Jn 13:1) and “poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Rom 5:5). As the objects of God's love, men and women become subjects of charity, they are called to make themselves instruments of grace, so as to pour forth God's charity and to weave networks of charity.

This dynamic of charity received and given is what gives rise to the Church's social teaching, which is caritas in veritate in re sociali: the proclamation of the truth of Christ's love in society. This doctrine is a service to charity, but its locus is truth. Truth preserves and expresses charity's power to liberate in the ever-changing events of history. It is at the same time the truth of faith and of reason, both in the distinction and also in the convergence of those two cognitive fields. Development, social well-being, the search for a satisfactory solution to the grave socio-economic problems besetting humanity, all need this truth. What they need even more is that this truth should be loved and demonstrated. Without truth, without trust and love for what is true, there is no social conscience and responsibility, and social action ends up serving private interests and the logic of power, resulting in social fragmentation, especially in a globalized society at difficult times like the present.

6. “Caritas in veritate” is the principle around which the Church's social doctrine turns, a principle that takes on practical form in the criteria that govern moral action. I would like to consider two of these in particular, of special relevance to the commitment to development in an increasingly globalized society: justice and the common good.

(from 11/05/25)

The Bill is scheduled to have a Report Stage /Third Reading this Friday, 16th May, although this may be delayed. There have been many reports of insufficient scrutiny of the Bill, that major safeguards have been removed (a High Court judge no longer overseeing due judicial process) and, critically, the Bill has been rushed. If such reports are true, then purely on the grounds of procedural failure, surely, the Bill should be rejected.

That aside, a retired anaesthetist informs us that pain can be very closely managed and that far more funding should be directed towards end of life care, every reason then, to support ‘care not killing’ campaigns; other medical professionals have said they will leave the profession if the Bill succeeds. Additionally, anecdotes about extreme medical conditions would seem to be unfounded in these Isles, since professionals inform us that there would be medical intervention before any such extreme conditions arose.

As has been said before, in the longer term (40, 50 or 60 years hence) with an ever diminishing public purse, given the extremely low fertility rate in the country at this time with the consequent lack of revenues from income tax, there is every reason to suspect that coercion, on budgetary grounds alone, over and above the intrinsic dignity of the person, would becomes a very attractive proposition as a money saving exercise, as is evidenced in Canada.

All this is borne out by a communique which came through late on Friday afternoon, as follows:-“a newly published government impact assessment has revealed that assisted suicide could reduce public spending by over £100 million a year, by cutting costs in healthcare, pensions, care homes and disability benefits. This opens the door to a dangerous logic where ending lives is seen as a cost-saving measure. In that climate, vulnerable people—especially those who are elderly, disabled or under-supported—could feel pressured to see death as their duty. And in a crumbling healthcare system, doctors may come to view death as an acceptable “treatment,” rather than continuing care. This mindset has already warped Canada’s healthcare system. In one shocking case, a disabled veteran seeking a stairlift was offered assisted suicide instead.”

In so many ways this Bill is wrong and should be voted down. Please continue to urge your MP to oppose the Bill.

SPUC, Right to Life, Christian Concern, Care Not Killing and many other groups will be demonstrating against the Bill outside Parliament while the Report Stage is going on.

The details for the demonstration are: Date: Friday, 16 May 2025 Time: 9am – 12pm Location: Old Palace Yard, by the statue of George V, SW1P 3JY. Further details at https://christianconcern.com/action/act-now-to-stop-assisted-suicide/ as the date of the rally approaches.