10 September 2015
Press release
Evangelical Alliance comment on Assisted Dying Bill
Commenting on the second reading of the Assisted Dying Bill Steve Clifford, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, said:
“As Christians, we believe in the inherent dignity and value of every individual. Legalising assisted suicide could put pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives for fear of being a burden.
“The present law works well and doesn’t need changing. It acts as a powerful deterrent to the exploitation of vulnerable people, while also giving discretion to prosecutors and judges in challenging cases. Palliative care can provide properly for the needs of people and evidence shows that the number of people wanting assisted suicide drops when they receive good palliative care.
“We have a rich tradition of quality care for the dying and should continue promoting and investing in palliative care. We want to see a society that protects and supports people. Legalising assisted suicide would not do this.”
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Notes to Editors
The Evangelical Alliance
We are the largest and oldest body representing the UK’s two million evangelical Christians. For more than 165 years, we have been bringing Christians together and helping them listen to, and be heard by, the government, media and society. We’re here to connect people for a shared mission, whether it’s celebrating the Bible, making a difference in our communities or lobbying the government for a better society. From Skye to Southampton, from Coleraine to Cardiff, we work across 79 denominations, 3,500 churches, 750 organisations and thousands of individual members. And we're not just uniting Christians within the UK – we are a founding member of the World Evangelical Alliance, a global network of more than 600 million evangelical Christians. For more information, go to www.eauk.org.
