In their appeal to MPs, the leaders say:

“This bill, in our view, undermines the value of life and lacks the safeguards needed to protect those most vulnerable from being forced into premature death.”

The letter makes clear that Christian leaders have both principled opposition to the plans due to their convictions, but also significant practical concerns about how it would work and the impact on the most vulnerable.

The proposed law addresses some of the most fundamental ethical issues for society and as leaders note: .“By prioritizing individual choices, we risk ignoring the wider implications for healthcare professionals who commit to acting in the best interests of their patientson family members burdened with the aftermath and on society at large.”

The letter goes on to consider some of the practical issues involved: how it will disproportionately affect the most vulnerable in society; how palliative care funding is fragile; and how supply is uneven. International evidence is also taken into account and thus the possibility of normalizing suicide and the possibility of accessing assisted death will be expanded in the future.

Perhaps the most important of the concerns raised by these leaders in their letter is the potential for this new law to lead to the most vulnerable in society being forced or unduly influenced to end their lives prematurely. This pressure can be explicit, but it can also encourage people to choose death so that they would be less of a burden if they followed this path.

The letter ends by urging Members of Parliament to vote against the bill on 29 November when it fails to protect the most vulnerable in society.