The Bishop of East Anglia is calling for the Catholics of East Anglia to write to their local MPs to oppose a bill before parliament on assisted dying.

A new law has been proposed to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, where it is currently banned with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years.

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater formally introduced her bill to give choice at the end of life for the terminally ill in October.

Under the proposed law the person must be 18 or older, have the mental capacity to make the choice, be terminally ill and expected to die within six months, and the process must involve two independent doctors being satisfied the person is eligible. 

A debate and first vote are expected to take place on November 29.

The Bishop of East Anglia, the Rt Rev Peter Collins, has written a pastoral letter to the Catholics of East Anglia to ask them to write to their local MP to oppose the bill.

Bishop Peter described it as a critical moment in the history of our civilisation and said: "The absolute value and dignity of each and every human life is a principle not subject to variation.

He continued: “Flowing from this primary consideration there is a cascade of implications to be considered on issues linked to the care and protection of every human being.

"It is the preservation of this care and protection that is our responsibility, not their removal.

“The moment of death is not a step into oblivion but a sacred translation from the confinement of time and space into the expanse of eternity. At the moment of death, we are called to embrace the fullness of life," he added.

A discussion on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill (Second Reading), will take place on Friday, November 15, at the Players Theatre, Battery Green Road, Lowestoft.

The event will be chaired by Liz Nice, editor of the East Anglian Daily Times, and confirmed speakers include Dr Janette Fish, who has over 30 years of experience supporting bereaved individuals in hospital, community, and hospice settings, and Tom Fenning, Pastor of Beccles Baptist Church. 

The event will begin from 7.30pm with doors opening at 7pm.