A proposed amendment to the Coroners and Justice Bill failed to be discussed yesterday in the House of Commons, averting the first assault of assisted suicide. The amendment was proposed by former Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, in an attempt to prevent people being prosecuted if they choose to accompany friends or relatives to countries where it is possible to commit suicide legally. The amendment was laid by a group of MPs following recent high-profile legal cases.
Several MPs were consequently outraged when the debate concluded with no time to discuss the amendment, contesting that the way in which the Government compressed the debates on the Bill was to prevent discussion of issues that have aroused considerable public interest. The issue may still be taken up in the House of Lords.
If you are interested in reading the debate, it starts in column 52:
We must pray that, when and if discussed, the matter will be dealt with shrewdly. Ministers must resist and recognise the detrimental effects of any attempt to hijack the Bill: not only would such attempts devalue human life itself; they would also have disastrous implications for the terminally ill, for the elderly, for disabled people, for the medical profession and for wider society.
We must also pray for the Free Speech Clause that will be debated at around 3.30pm today (24/03/2009). We need to pray for freedom to be able to speak out on biblical truth on sexual ethics. This very freedom is under threat today. Click here to see our Action Pack.