Assisted suicide

The Salvation Army is calling on MPs in the UK Parliament to oppose assisted suicide and protect vulnerable people and secure consistent funding for quality palliative care.

In the coming weeks, MPs will be going through the final stages of the legislative process to introduce assisted suicide in England and Wales, with a final vote expected on 16 May. Last year, MPs voted by 330 votes to 275 to progress the Bill to give it further time to be considered in greater detail.

While there have been changes and amendments to what is being proposed, fundamental concerns remain:

Assisted suicide challenges the fundamental and sacred value of life by inviting people to question when a life is deemed no longer worth living.
Legalising assisted suicide risks discriminating against people in poverty as they rarely have the same access to quality palliative care and may feel ending their life is the only way to alleviate mental and physical pain.
Laws send powerful social messages. The introduction of assisted suicide would result in a significant shift in the social contract between the state, society and the most vulnerable. The Bill cannot legislate for the complexities of life: the safeguards within it would not protect the most vulnerable people from the risk of being swayed or feeling pressured into ending their lives as a result of a social or material condition, rather than on medical grounds.

Every human life is a gift from God. Every person deserves to have dignity in their final days.

Currently, access to physical, emotional and spiritual support at the end of life usually depends on charitable donations or personal wealth. Instead of legalising assisted suicide, The Salvation Army is calling on the UK government to secure consistent funding for quality palliative care that is accessible to all.

If you would like to add your voice to this call, write to your MP today.

Write to your MP

A photo of someone holding an elderly patient's hand

Protecting vulnerable people

As the assisted suicide Bill returns to parliament, Lieut-Colonel Nick Coke highlights the Army’s concerns.

Reflection from Lieut-Colonel Nick Coke

A photo of territorial leaders Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main.

'We continue to urge you to pray for wisdom, compassion and guidance.'

Territorial Leaders Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main share a pastoral letter on the topic of assisted suicide.

Letter from the territorial leaders

Christian faith calls us to face difficult conversations together

People within The Salvation Army and across the country will have a variety of perspectives about end-of-life care. Many of these perspectives will have been formed by personal experiences. 

Salvationists are encouraged to learn more about the new bill on assisted suicide, read The Salvation Army's positional statement, listen to the views of the people around them and pray for God's guidance.

Just as God chose to be with us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, Christians can demonstrate their love for God and one another by leaning into difficult conversations with humility and journeying through life in community.

Church should be a safe space where people from a variety of backgrounds can respectfully share their beliefs, with Christians practising good disagreement that recognises each person as being made by God.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow adults who are terminally ill, subject to safeguards and protections, to request and be provided with assistance to end their own life.

Some people are using the phrase ‘assisted dying’ to refer to the Bill, but The Salvation Army uses the term ‘assisted suicide’, because it more accurately describes the deliberate act of ending one’s life with the assistance of another.

‘Assisted dying’ can obscure or oversanitise the reality of the act. It’s important to be clear about the ethical implications involved.

Become more informed:

Learn about the difference between assisted suicide and euthanasia on the NHS website
Read a variety of media coverage about the Bill
Watch documentaries that feature different perspectives, such as BBC One’s Better Off Dead?
As you learn more about the issue, use The Salvation Army’s positional statement and Handbook of Doctrine to aid your reflection

Positional statements provide information and guidance to members of The Salvation Army.

As the official position of The Salvation Army, people representing The Salvation Army must be consistent with it.

It is understood, however, that individual Salvationists may hold different views on some subjects and acceptance of position is not essential to membership.

The Salvation Army also recognises that non-members may not share the same perspective and does not discriminate or condemn those who do not hold the same beliefs or exclude them from attending our church services, working for us or receiving our support.

Territorial position on euthanasia and assisted suicide

‘Though support for euthanasia and assisted suicide may be grounded in a desire to relieve suffering, we do not condone these practices, which deny the sanctity, value and purpose of human life. Instead, The Salvation Army is committed to alleviating suffering without deliberately ending life, showing compassion at all times.’

Positional Statement

The Salvation Army in the United Kingdom and Ireland's positional statement.

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The debate about assisted dying may raise questions about suffering. The reality of suffering can challenge faith in an all-powerful God of love, and yet, as The Salvation Army’s Handbook of Doctrine explains, ‘Christians are not saved from suffering, but saved in suffering and sustained by the fact that Christ suffers with them’.

Read pages 43 to 48 of the Handbook of Doctrine as part of your reflections or use them alongside the positional statement in a small group discussion.