Catholic Bishops warn worshippers that assisted dying 'is a dangerous spiral ... trends now
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Legalising assisted dying will create a ‘dangerous spiral’, putting the elderly and disabled at risk, the Catholic Church in Scotland has warned.
Senior bishops are now urging parishioners to lobby their MSPs against the move, proposed by Lib Dem Liam McArthur in a Private Members’ Bill at Holyrood.
The clerics have written a letter to be read out in all of Scotland’s 460 Catholic parishes at all Masses tomorrow and on Sunday, fiercely condemning the plan.
It states that 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’.
Terminally ill Scots as young as 16 will be able to ask doctors for a cocktail of drugs to help to end their lives under the proposed legislation.
Archbishop of Glasgow William Nolan is a signatory of a letter fiercely condemning assisted dying legislation
Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur wants to bring in an assisted dying bill for terminally ill adults in Scotland
The pastoral letter cites evidence from other jurisdictions where assisted dying is legal, including Oregon in the USA, where around half of people who choose assisted dying do so because they feel they are a burden on their families or on their communities and healthcare system.
It says: ‘When vulnerable people express concerns about being a burden, the response is not to suggest they have a duty to die; rather, it is to commit to meeting their needs
