Christian campaigners and MPs have responded to the passing of the Assisted Dying Bill in Parliament, with many insisting they “must not give up”.
The bill, which would allow terminally ill adults with six months or less to live to end their lives legally, passed its third reading in the House of Commons by a narrow margin of 23 votes. It now proceeds to the House of Lords, where peers will examine the legislation in greater detail.
Labour MP for York Central, Rachael Maskell, voted against the bill. Speaking to Premier, she criticised the lack of thorough scrutiny as the legislation progressed through the Commons.
“Not everyone had a chance to speak today,” Maskell said. “Amendments were put down – evidence-based, supported by professional bodies – and they were rejected, unfortunately.
“I think we have got to get better as a Parliament, but there should have been a proper Royal Commission to really tease out what the issues are, what the problems are, why people are having poor deaths in our country, before this process began.”
Tim Farron MP, a long-standing opponent of the bill, told Premier the outcome was “crushing for somebody who thinks assisted dying is a massive threat to the most vulnerable and marginalised people in our society.” However, he observed that the margin of 23 Ayes was smaller than anticipated.
“The majority was less than half the size of the second reading,” the former Liberal Democrat leader said, “which makes you think that the momentum is against the bill.
“So, the House of Lords ought to feel emboldened and legitimised in opposing and scrutinising the bill. I suspect it's fair to say that it may not be all over,” he added.
Alicia Edmund, Head of Public Policy at the Evangelical Alliance, was outside Parliament as the result was announced.
“There was real sense of lament,” she told Premier, “but one of real fervour – in the sense that there's more to fight on in the House of Lords.”
She noted that many Christian campaigners had taken action, driven by their faith convictions.
“So many Christians wrote to their local MPs, and they met them. They were engaged and using their platform and their voice to speak up for the vulnerable,” Edmund said. “Your work was not in vain – particularly for those from the disabled community, those at the end of life of care, or from ethnic minority communities where they're not getting the [proper] health support.”
Ciaràn Kelly, Director of the Christian Institute, said: “Christians will feel grieved that MPs have shown so little regard for the dignity of human life, so little compassion for the concerns of vulnerable groups, and so little respect for the testimony of medical experts.
“But we must not give up. We must continue to pray. And we must now look to the House of Lords, where we can expect better scrutiny of this dangerous and unworkable Bill.”
For the Bill to become law, both the Commons and the Lords need to agree on its final wording.
Even then, because of a planned four-year implementation period, assisted dying wouldn’t be available until 2029 at the earliest - around the time this Government's current term is expected to end.