Christian organisations are calling for a national day of prayer ahead of the second day of debate in Westminster on the Assisted Dying Bill later next week.
MPs are expected to vote this summer on whether terminally ill adults should be allowed assistance to end their lives.
Care, Affinity, the Christian Medical Fellowship, the Christian Institute, Christian Concern and the Evangelical Alliance are collectively calling for Christians to pray about the bill on Tuesday, 11th June.
Currently, two separate bills aimed at legalising assisted suicide are under consideration: one in the Scottish Parliament and another in Westminster covering England and Wales. Both bills have made progress, although there are indications that some parliamentarians in England and Wales who previously supported the measures may now abstain or vote against them.
One such MP is Labour’s Markus Campbell-Savours, MP for Penrith and Solway. Despite still considering himself a “supporter” of assisted dying, he told the BBC: “I would be very concerned if legislation produced a situation where people who considered themselves a burden on their families and friends felt pressured to end their life.”
Simon Calvert, Deputy Director of The Christian Institute, told Christianity Today: “We hope Christians across the UK will join us in prayer against dangerous attempts to legalise assisted suicide. No so-called safeguards can make these Bills ‘safe’.
“We must ask God to open more politicians’ eyes to the bitter reality that ‘assisted dying’ means helping suicidal people to kill themselves. We thank God that many are already opposing these Bills and we can pray that more will find the courage to speak out.”