Following news that a member of the British Parliament intends to reintroduce the assisted suicide bill into parliament after it recently ran out of parliamentary time, an archbishop has reiterated why he considers the bill to be dangerous and flawed.

In a statement, Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, the Lead Bishop for Life Issues at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, called the proposed legislation “flawed and full of unresolved matters.”

“I am deeply disappointed that the previously unsuccessful Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is being reintroduced in the House of Commons. It is likely to be debated in September. The Catholic Church opposes this Bill in principle and joins with many other people of faith and none in arguing that we should not cross this watershed,” Sherrington said.

“The recent debate about this Bill showed how many people found the proposed legislation, even if they accepted it in principle, to be flawed and full of unresolved matters. The majority in the Commons reduced between readings, the Lords identified many shortcomings and bad legislation,” he added.

Lauren Edwards, the Labour Member of Parliament (MP) for Rochester and Strood, has said that she will bring the same bill to the Commons that Kim Leadbeater, also a Labour MP, initially brought. She recently came second in a private members’ bill ballot.

“Laws passed in the House of Commons are then refined by the House of Lords but they don’t have the opportunity to block them,” Edwards told the BBC in an interview. 

“It’s perfectly reasonable for us to ask the House of Lords to finish the job,” she added.

Leadbeater’s bill passed in the House of Commons by 25 votes in June 2025 but not the House of Lords after over 1200 proposed amendments delayed its progress and it ran out of time. 

Sherrington said that many professional bodies argued against the bill the first time around, and that the concerns about it had not been resolved.

“Many professional bodies argued against this Bill, including the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Physicians, whose members would be required to be involved under the provision of the Bill. Disability rights groups, those fighting against eating disorders, and against domestic abuse were highly concerned and considered it dangerous,” he said.

“Concerns that were raised remain unresolved. The Bill undermines freedom of conscience for medical professionals and care workers. It also requires care homes and hospices to participate in assisted suicide, threatening not only their future existence but also the wellbeing of their more vulnerable staff,” Sherrington added.

If MPs pass the legislation again, then there is the chance that supporters of the bill could use the Parliament Act to overcome potential opposition in the House of Lords.

“Reintroducing this legislation, once again, places the most vulnerable at risk. I ask MPs to reject this Bill,” said Sherrington.

“Recent debates have exposed the uneven provision of palliative care across the country. Surely what is now needed to help the terminally ill is an improvement in compassionate, high-quality palliative care, and proper hospice funding. I urge a debate about priorities in healthcare funding, especially for those living with terminal illness,” he added.

Labour MP Ashley Dalton said she was “deeply concerned” by the news.

“Voters put us in power to reduce the cost of living and fix the NHS. We have debated this deeply divisive and flawed assisted dying bill for over a year and supporters have refused to listen or to make the necessary changes,” she said.