Catholics are launching a Rosary crusade in an attempt to defeat a Bill legalising assisted suicide in the UK, which is currently making its way through Parliament. The Bill, now at the Committee Stage in the House of Commons, is set to be voted on by MPs at its Third Reading, possibly as early as 25 April 2025.
Led by the lay Catholic organisation Voice of the Family, a recitation of the Rosary will take place outside the Houses of Parliament as the next vote happens. Catholics are also being encouraged to pray the Rosary at other times for the same intention.
Dominican Father Thomas Crean, of St Dominic’s Priory, North London, <a href="https://voiceofthefamily.com/our-ladys-sling-rosary-crusade-against-the-giant-of-euthanasia/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">writing</mark></a> for the Voice of the Family website, has stressed the vital importance of the Rosary in defeating the Bill.
Referencing the Old Testament story of David and Goliath, where “David prevailed over the Philistine [Goliath] with a sling and a stone” (1 Samuel 17:50), Fr Crean comments that today’s Goliath is euthanasia, and today’s David is the baptised.
He suggests that the Rosary is our “sling” with which to fight euthanasia and assisted suicide, as it “has won great triumphs before now, both spiritual and temporal".
The Committee Stage of the Bill has proved particularly controversial. The Committee of Selection, officially responsible for appointing MPs to Public Bill Committees, is predominantly made up of MPs who support assisted suicide. It selected a committee of 14 MPs in favour of the Bill and nine against, leading to <a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/assisted-suicide-mp-unveils-stacked-committee-to-consider-her-bill/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">accusations that the committee analysing the Bill had been "stacked"</mark></a>.
The committee considering the legislation has already begun to remove previously proposed safeguards, the most notable recent example being an amendment proposed by the Bill’s sponsor, Kim Leadbeater, to <a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/key-safeguard-scrapped-from-assisted-suicide-bill/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">remove the requirement for High Court approval</mark></a> in cases of assisted suicide. The amendment replaces judicial oversight with a Voluntary Assisted Dying Commission.
The initial requirement for assisted suicide cases to go before the High Court, thereby involving a judge to ensure that the law was correctly followed, was touted by the Bill’s proponents as one of the proofs that it “has the strictest protections and safeguards of any [assisted suicide] legislation anywhere in the world". Concerns of its removal reportedly could prompt some MPs to reconsider their position on the Bill at its Third Reading.
Alongside the removal of the High Court safeguard, the committee also voted down a host of amendments designed to close loopholes and introduce protections for the vulnerable. Among the rejected amendments was a proposal to include the Royal College of Psychiatrists, thereby ensuring that psychiatric expertise informed the legislation.
The committee also refused an amendment that would have introduced a mandatory 28-day waiting period following an approval for assisted suicide, which was intended to provide patients with more time for reflection before proceeding. Another measure that failed to be endorsed by the committee sought to prevent so-called "doctor shopping", a practice whereby patients consult multiple doctors until they find one willing to approve the procedure.
Additionally, the committee voted against a mandatory palliative care consultation, which would have ensured that patients were assessed to determine whether their pain could be alleviated before resorting to assisted suicide.
A particularly significant amendment struck down was one <a href="https://thecatholicherald.com/loophole-allowing-assisted-suicide-for-anorexia-left-open/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">aimed at safeguarding individuals with anorexia nervosa from qualifying for assisted suicide</mark></a>. This means that, under the current Bill, individuals with anorexia nervosa could qualify for assisted suicide if their condition leads to a prognosis of six months or less to live. The move drew significant criticism from advocacy groups, with Tom Quinn of Beat, a leading UK-based eating disorder charity, stating: "Eating disorders should never be classified as terminal."
Large swathes of the medical profession have also continued to voice concerns about the proposed Bill, with just 33.7 per cent of members of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) supporting assisted suicide. Despite this, the 54,000-strong professional body has recently <a href="https://www.rcgp.org.uk/news/rcgp-position-on-assisted-dying"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">changed its stance on the Bill to “neutral”</mark></a>, prompting 250 doctors to sign a letter to <em>The Times </em>expressing their disappointment in the College’s leadership.
In the letter, the GPs said: “We believe assisted dying undermines public understanding of and access to palliative care, puts vulnerable populations at risk of self-coercion or abuse, and drives societal biases that devalue certain lives.
"We find assisted suicide incompatible with our values as doctors: to promote and preserve life, and to be worthy of our patients’ trust."
Right to Life UK has also <a href="https://righttolife.org.uk/news/large-drop-in-support-for-assisted-suicide-among-gps"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">called out the discrepancy</mark></a> between the opinions held by a majority of GPs on assisted suicide and the new "neutral" position taken by the RCGP.
Those wishing to take part in the Rosary Crusade, or who would like more information, are requested to contact Voice of the Family at enquiry@voiceofthefamily.com.
<em>Photo: A rosary being held. (Photo credit PETER MUHLY/AFP via Getty Images.)</em>
