Scotland: Bishops, no to assisted suicide. “A law which allows us to kill our brothers and sisters takes us down a dangerous spiral that always puts at risk the most vulnerable members of our society”

“A law which allows us to kill our brothers and sisters takes us down a dangerous spiral that always puts at risk the most vulnerable members of our society, including the elderly, and disabled, and those who struggle with mental health”. With these words, in a pastoral letter to all devotees, which will be read out in the 460 Scottish parish churches at tomorrow’s and Sunday’s Masses, the Bishops call on the devotees to reject the legislation on assisted dying which is being discussed by Edinburgh’s Parliament right now.
“Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults”, put forward by Scottish MP Liam McArthur, could make Scotland the first nation in the United Kingdom to give the go-ahead to assisted dying. The latest attempt at legalising assisted suicide dates back to 2015, but the Scottish Parliament had rejected it. This time, instead, there is a real possibility that the law may be passed. In their letter, the Scottish Bishops ask the MPs to focus their energy on improving palliative care, which they think is “underfunded and limited”, and recall the case of other jurisdictions, such as that of Oregon, USA, where half of the people who choose to die of assisted suicide do it because they feel they are a burden on their families, on society and on the State.

Silvia Guzzetti