Churches Put Up Feeble Fight as British Island Blazes a Trail in Killing Terminally Ill, by Jules Gomes

By Jules Gomes, The Stream, March 28, 2025

Dr. Jules Gomes, (BA, BD, MTh, PhD), has a doctorate in biblical studies from the University of Cambridge. Currently a Vatican-accredited journalist based in Rome, he is the author of five books and several academic articles. Gomes lectured at Catholic and Protestant seminaries and universities and was canon theologian and artistic director at Liverpool Cathedral.

New legislation could have ripple effect as U.K. parliament debates “Assisted Dying” bill

Humanists and atheists are reveling in victory as an island known for its Celtic Christian heritage has become the first nation in the British Isles to legalize killing terminally ill adults.

On Tuesday, the Isle of Man parliament passed the euphemistically named Assisted Dying Bill, first introduced by medical doctor and politician Alex Allinson in June 2002, after feeble opposition from the ecumenical Churches Alive in Mann failed to rally the backing needed to defeat it.

The bill would allow terminally ill adults to kill themselves with medical assistance if they expect to live less than a year. Doctors have to opt in to provide the service. Patients seeking to commit suicide must have lived on the island for at least five years.

The bill’s passage comes at a critical juncture, as euthanasia advocates and lawmakers are attempting to push similar bills through the parliaments in England, Wales, and Scotland. …

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