Hindu and Sikh leaders join calls for assisted dying bill in UK to be opposed

LONDON: Hindus and Sikh leaders in the UK have joined Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders in signing a letter opposing an assisted dying bill which MPs will vote on on Friday.

The aim of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is to allow adults, who are in the final six months of their life, to request assistance from a doctor to end their life. The bill says two doctors must assess the request and check they have reached their decision voluntarily and then final permission is granted by a high court judge who allows a life-ending “approved substance” — to be self-administered — to be prescribed to them.

Cardinal Nichols, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, as well as the Muslim Council of Britain all publicly opposed the bill weeks ago, with Welby describing it as “dangerous”.

Now Anil Bhanot, managing trustee of the Hindu Council UK; Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh Ahluwali, spiritual leader and chair, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha; Trupti Patel, president of the Hindu Forum of Britain; Mehool Sanghrajka, chair of the Institute of Jainology; Lord Singh of Wimbledon, director of the Network of Sikh Organisations UK, and other faith leaders have co-signed a letter opposing the legislation.

The letter says they are deeply concerned about the impact the bill would have on the most vulnerable, including elderly and disabled, who could be put under pressure to end their lives early. They point to Canada and Oregon where the promised safeguards have not protected the vulnerable and most marginalised. “It is easy to see how a ‘right to die’ could all too easily end in feeling you have a ‘duty to die,” the letter states, calling for more investment in palliative care instead.

The private members’ bill is being presented by Labour backbencher Kim Leadbeater after her name topped the ballot. MPs will have a free vote, meaning they can vote according to their conscience.

Health secretary Wes Streeting and justice secretary Shabana Mahmood are opposed to the bill. In a letter to her constituents, Mahmood wrote: "The state should never offer death as a service.”

But Leadbeater says the law needs to change “to give dying people choice and autonomy”.