In the last debate of July’s Synod, members discussed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill; a motion by the Rt Rev and Rt Hon Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London, asked Synod to reaffirm the “immeasurable and irreducible value’ of every person and to request His Majesty’s Government to improve palliative care funding”[*]. The motion was passed, with 238 votes in favour, 7 against, and 7 abstaining. The Press Release is reproduced below.
Fund palliative care instead of ‘unworkable and unsafe’ assisted suicide law – Synod
15/07/2025
General Synod has called on the Government to improve funding for “desperately needed” palliative care rather than putting vulnerable people at risk through “unworkable and unsafe” legislation to introduce assisted suicide. Members of the Synod backed a call by the Bishop of London for the Government to increase funding for palliative care and palliative care research to enable people to live their lives in full until they die.
The debate heard speeches opposing a change in the law and backing increased funding for palliative care from a range of different Synod members including clergy who work in hospice care, NHS consultant surgeons, GPs and a psychiatrist.
Bishop Sarah Mullally, who is a former Chief Nursing Officer for England, said she “deeply concerned” by the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which would legalise assisted suicide, being brought by Kim Leadbeater Bill MP. And she called on General Synod members to pray and to “engage” with peers in the House of Lords as the Bill goes to the House of Lords.
She told the Synod the Bill was “unsafe and unworkable” and would put vulnerable groups at risk, including terminally ill people who cannot access the end-of-life care they need.
[…]
Bishop Sarah said the Government’s own equality impact assessment recognised that people may choose an “assisted” death either because they cannot access the care that they need, or because they may feel pressure to end their lives due to the cost of the care.
The assessment also warns of the adverse impacts that the Bill could have on groups such as disabled people, women, and those who are vulnerable to coercion.
[…]
Notes
The motion approved was:
That this Synod, in light of recent debates on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, reaffirm that every person is of immeasurable and irreducible value, and request His Majesty’s Government work to improve funding and access to desperately needed palliative care services instead of enacting a law that puts the most vulnerable at risk.
- The vote was 238 in favour, 7 against, and 7 recorded abstentions.
[*] House of Commons Research Briefing The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill 2024-25 notes: “There is no consensus on which terminology to use when debating the issue of whether people should be legally permitted to seek assistance with ending their own lives. Consequently, a range of terms are used, principally “Assisted Suicide” and “Assisted Dying”, and the choice of term often reflects underlying views on the debate.