The Catholic Church in England and Wales has renewed its opposition to proposals to legalise assisted suicide after a Private Members' Bill was reintroduced to the House of Commons.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, introduced by Labour MP Lauren Edwards, was published on Thursday. With the exception of two additional amendments, it is identical to the version of the Bill brought forward by Kim Leadbeater that narrowly passed its Third Reading in the Commons in June 2025.
If passed, the Bill would change the law in England and Wales to allow terminally ill adults who are believed to have six months or less to live to seek an assisted death, subject to eligibility criteria.
The Catholic Bishops' Conference has urged Christians to pray and contact their MPs ahead of the vote, warning that the legislation would put vulnerable people at risk.
Archbishop Richard Moth, President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, said the Church's objections to the Bill remain unchanged.
"This Bill is wrong in principle. It is also deeply flawed and, if passed, could lead to vulnerable people feeling pressured into ending their lives," he said.
"The Bill has a serious lack of protection for health and social care staff and risks putting many wonderful hospices and care homes in the position of no longer being able to operate."
The Archbishop urged Catholics and others opposed to the legislation to write to their MP ahead of the vote.
Christian social policy charity CARE also criticised the reintroduced Bill, describing it as "irredeemably flawed".
Responding to its publication, CARE's director of advocacy and policy, former MP Caroline Ansell, said: "It is a democratic outrage that MPs are being effectively asked to rubber stamp the same, irredeemably flawed assisted suicide Bill, which was so clearly rejected by the Lords and barely made it through its Third Reading in the Commons."
Ansell said peers had proposed more than 70 amendments during the Bill's previous passage through Parliament and argued that concerns over safeguards remained unresolved.
She warned the legislation could place pressure on vulnerable people, particularly older adults with multiple health conditions, and questioned how it would be funded.
"There is no funding available and so monies would have to be diverted away from other frontline services," she said.
Rather than progressing the Bill, Ansell called on MPs to focus on improving access to palliative and social care.
"When this Bill comes for a Second Reading in September, I hope MPs reject it... and instead push for new debates on improving access to social and palliative care across the UK."
The Second Reading vote on 11 September will determine whether the Bill continues its passage through Parliament.
