An open letter from our CEO, Raymond Friel, to MPs ahead of the vote on the Assisted Dying Bill
Dear Members of Parliament,
As Chief Executive of Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN), the official Catholic agency for domestic social action in England and Wales, I write to express my deep concern about the Assisted Dying Bill.
Our network includes Catholic charities, care homes, hospices, and community groups that accompany people facing the end of life, often in great vulnerability. From that experience, I believe this Bill represents a serious threat to the dignity of those we serve and to the moral foundations of compassionate care in our society.
Our network works closely with individuals who live with dementia, physical frailty, disability, or terminal illness. Many express fears of becoming a burden, feel isolated, or are subject to subtle forms of coercion—especially where care and support are lacking. In these situations, the notion of a completely free and autonomous choice to end one’s life becomes highly questionable.
In Oregon, often cited as a model for this legislation, 47% of those who accessed assisted suicide did so out of fear of being a burden—not because of unmanageable physical pain. This stark figure illustrates how quickly a “right to die” can be felt as a “duty to die.”
The Government’s own Bill Impact Assessment (BIA) raises further serious issues. It repeatedly admits it is “not possible” to estimate the Bill’s impact due to the absence of implementation details from the sponsor, Kim Leadbeater MP. Without such detail, it is impossible to evaluate how the proposed safeguards will work in practice or what impact this Bill may have on already overstretched health and care services.
Even more troubling is the inclusion of anticipated economic benefits, such as reduced healthcare costs and pension liabilities, as an argument for legalising assisted suicide. When death is framed as a cost-saving measure, we risk sending a dangerous message to those who feel unwanted or burdensome: that their death may be more socially valuable than their continued life.
There are other substantial concerns:
- The Bill weakens legal safeguards, removing High Court oversight and relying heavily on verbal consent during time-pressured and emotionally fraught consultations.
- It fails to address significant inequities in access to palliative care, which may push people toward assisted suicide simply because good care is unavailable.
- The Bill does not offer adequate conscientious objection protections for institutions, placing Catholic hospices and care homes in an impossible position. Without clear safeguards, they may face legal or contractual pressure to cooperate with assisted dying, leaving many feeling forced to close rather than compromise their mission. This could lead to the end of service to thousands of people and families across England and Wales.
This legislation raises deep ethical, legal, and clinical questions, yet it has not received the level of scrutiny such a profound shift in law demands. A rushed process, limited committee input, and minimal space for opposing voices do a disservice to Parliament and to the people we are called to serve.
Our Catholic vision of care is rooted in the belief that every person possesses inherent dignity from birth to natural death. This is the foundation of hospice and palliative care: to relieve pain, offer emotional and spiritual support, and accompany the dying in their final moments, not to end life.
I urge you to vote against the Assisted Dying Bill. In doing so, you stand for a compassionate society that supports people in their suffering, rather than seeing death as a solution; you stand with those on the frontlines of care, nurses, doctors, carers, chaplains, who daily uphold the value of every life, even in its final moments.
Thank you for your attention and your service. Please be assured of my prayers as you consider this matter of life and death.
Yours faithfully
Raymond Friel OBE
Chief Executive Officer, Caritas Social Action Network
