The incoming Archbishop of Canterbury has issued a stark warning that proposed new assisted dying legislation is 'unsafe' and could pressure vulnerable cancer patients into choosing death over life-prolonging treatment.
A Former Nurse's Grave Concerns
Dame Sarah Mullally, the current Bishop of London and a former nurse, raised her profound concerns during an edition of BBC Radio 4's Today programme, which was edited by former Prime Minister Theresa May. She argued that people's decisions could be dangerously swayed by the inadequate state of palliative and social care in the UK.
'We don't properly fund palliative care,' Dame Sarah stated. 'I am worried people may make a decision for assisted dying because they are not having the right sort of palliative care or the right social care.'
Inequality and a Lack of True Choice
The Archbishop-elect, who will become the first woman to lead the worldwide Anglican communion in January, highlighted a specific fear regarding societal inequality. She pointed to a group of people who, due to existing disparities, are more likely to receive late cancer diagnoses and die from the disease.
'My worry is that that group of people may be given options and feel because of other people's value judgements the option is assisted dying and not chemo and to fight for it (life),' she explained.
Dame Sarah also criticised a perceived lack of robust safeguards within the bill to prevent people who are not terminally ill from being helped to die, bluntly adding: 'I'm not sure any amendments will make it safe.'
The Legislative Journey and Mounting Scrutiny
The controversial Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, sponsored by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, passed its second reading in the House of Commons in June by a majority of 23 votes, paving the way for assisted dying to potentially become legal in England and Wales.
However, the bill must still pass through the House of Lords and receive final approval from both Houses before the current Parliamentary session ends in spring. Criticism of the backbench-led legislation has grown significantly since the summer vote, with peers tabling hundreds of amendments to address drafting flaws.
Dame Sarah Mullally, who was formally elected as the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury in a ceremony at Canterbury Cathedral in November, succeeds Justin Welby. The 105th archbishop resigned in early January after announcing his departure two months earlier over failures in handling a safeguarding scandal.
In her recent Christmas address, she reflected that the assisted dying law and its 'complexities' were challenging 'our understanding of what it means to live and die well'.
