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The Guardian
11 hours ago
- Health
- The Guardian
I hope this is the last piece I ever have to write about assisted dying
MPs, read this horror before you vote today. Here's how some people are slowly dying, right now, in mortal agony untreatable by the best palliative care: 'Some will retch at the stench of their own body rotting. Some will vomit their own faeces. Some will suffocate, slowly, inexorably, over several days.' An average of 17 people a day are dying these bad deaths, according to 2019 figures, as reported by palliative care professionals who see it happen. The Inescapable Truth, a report from Dignity in Dying, revealed what is usually kept hidden from us: the shocking last months for the unluckiest. It could happen to you or me. The assisted dying bill's final Commons vote today is no abstract debate about slippery slopes or what God wants: to do nothing is to inflict torture on many. The vote may be tight: unwhipped private members' bills rely on MPs turning up. At second reading, 330 were in favour, 275 against. After 100 hours of detailed scrutiny and many strict amendments, more than 40 MPs switched both ways. No longer a judge, but an expert panel with a lawyer, social worker and psychiatrist will examine each application. Compromises include a four-year wait after royal assent for the service to be set up. An ITV News vote tracker expects 154 MPs to vote for it, 144 against, 22 undecided and 21 abstainers. Opponents are wheeling out their last-gasp tactics. Catholic bishops this week warned that the future of care homes and hospices will be put into 'grave doubt' by the legislation: 'Institutions whose mission has always been to provide compassionate care in sickness or old age, and to provide such care until the end of life, may have no choice, in the face of these demands, to withdraw from the provision of such care.' Disingenuous is a polite word – under the bill, health and social care workers can refuse involvement in the assisted dying process. God moves in such mysterious ways that some of his followers hide his involvement, without publicly revealing their religious reasons for opposing. The campaign group Our Duty of Care doesn't mention God on its website – nor the fact it shares an office with and is financed by evangelical groups. Membership of Care Not Killing, which runs the Our Duty of Care campaign, is largely religious. Only God ordains the time of our entrances and exits. The mystery is its secretiveness. Presumably that's because his word cuts very little mustard in a country where 53% have no religion. Others of the faith avoid mentioning him, such as Jacob Rees-Mogg on GB News, accusing Labour of 'a cult of death', with Labour MPs 'voting to finish off the elderly' in the week of the 'terrible vote from the House of Commons to allow infanticide of babies in the womb', after the Commons decriminalised women ending their pregnancies. Cult of death? That sounds more applicable to those willing to let others die in painful agony. But not all opponents are religious. One of the oddest is the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych). Although the bill requires patients to be mentally competent to request assisted dying, among other objections the RCPsych reminds MPs that 'terminal illness is a risk factor for suicide'. That's the point – a time when suicide might be quite rational. Offering psychiatry instead of an easeful potion could be greeted with expletives from those in agony. Disability groups have been persuasive, fearing they may be pushed towards shortening their lives, always at risk of being treated as inconvenient. But polling of those with disabilities shows 78% in favour assisted dying, in line with the rest of the population. Scotland, Jersey and the Isle of Man have moved ahead of England on this, and France just joined the many countries in legalising the right to die. Hundreds travel to Dignitas in Switzerland: 52% of Brits say they would consider this grim and lonely death, but few can afford the £15,000. About 650 suicides of the dying are recorded; there may be more of these lonely, unassisted deaths. If I sound intemperate, it's the memory of my mother's prolonged painful death: she thought her good GP would ease her way out but, post-Shipman, he couldn't. No, as some hope, morphine is not a kindly drug wafting you away – it can't remove all pain. Enough people have witnessed bad deaths that public opinion is strongly behind the right to die. Opponents warn people may be pushed into a faster death because they are a perceived burden on their family. To avoid inflicting suffering on those around you seems to me a good reason for not leaving a miserable memory of your final months. Knowing it's an option, even if never used, will comfort many given a terminal diagnosis. What if, opponents keep warning, someone is pressed into it? Everything is a balance of risks: set the absolute certainty of some horrible deaths against the possibility that a dying person may lose a few months of life. Which is worse? As Labour reaches one year in office, this vote should join this week's abortion decriminalisation as another milestone in the long history of personal freedoms that is always the party's legacy. While Harold Wilson never personally backed Roy Jenkins's long list of radical reforms, Keir Starmer has vociferously supported both bills. If it passes, it goes to the Lords, where 26 bishops will do their damnedest to stop it, reminding us why they should be removed along with the hereditaries. I have written often over many years on the right to die when we choose. I hope I never need to again. Polly Toynbee is a Guardian columnist In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@ or jo@ In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at
Irish Times
28-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
‘Humanity has lost its heart': Ireland's churches react forcefully to `abandoned' Gaza
Ireland's two main churches have reacted forcefully to the continuing suffering of the people of Gaza and have demanded action to end it. 'It appears that humanity has lost its heart,' the Catholic bishops have said. 'From all over Ireland, parishioners are reporting their horror and helplessness on seeing images of death and communal destruction in Gaza,' they said. In a joint statement, the two Church of Ireland archbishops said: 'It is with outrage that we watch the desperation, dislocation, and defenceless resident population of Gaza who feel they have been abandoned by the world.' Archbishop of Armagh John McDowell and Archbishop of Dublin and Bishop of Glendalough Michael Jackson said 'the international community must grasp reality and respond as never before. They can no longer stand by and watch the cruel starvation of innocent people.' READ MORE The Catholic bishops' statement noted how in Gaza, 'exhausted mothers can no longer nourish their young, children are dying of malnutrition, while aid lorries full of supplies are being refused entry into the territory, or are not safely arriving at their destination'. They said that 'to see the relentless bombardment of civilian areas, the deliberate withholding of food from the starving, as well as the callous holding of hostages, it appears that humanity has lost its heart'. The Church of Ireland archbishops said the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, owned and run by the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem, has reopened after being bombed on Palm Sunday. Its 'resilient' and 'courageous staff' are now 'operating in a tent' and 'treating the injured and sick as best they can, in what is by anyone's reckoning a living wasteland'. They pledged 'our continuing support' for them. [ Destruction of Gaza hospital supported by Dublin diocese 'an outrage', says senior Irish cleric Opens in new window ] The Catholic bishops called 'on all Catholics' to make the first Friday, June 6th, a day of prayer and fasting in solidarity with people in the Holy Land. They invited everyone to pray throughout June 'for the renewal of heart that our world so desperately needs'. Archbishops McDowell and Jackson called for an 'immediate ceasefire' in Gaza, the release of all hostages, and the 'influx of every kind of appropriate aid to alleviate starvation, injury and lack of shelter'. They acknowledged many 'feel hopeless and powerless to change what is happening in Gaza'. 'We pray that all those in positions of power globally will stand up and demand an end to this cruelty and seek the reinstitution of international law.'
ABC News
28-05-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Australian Catholic Bishops want a fair wage for Australia's working people
The election of Pope Leo XIV is having an immediate and concrete effect in Australia – but in a way you might not have imagined. In the Fair Work Commission, the country's Catholic bishops are pushing for a major pay increase for the lowest paid workers. And they're using a famous statement from one of Pope Leo's predecessors – Leo XIII – way back in 1891. Professor Tom Barnes is an economist with the Australian Catholic University. He helped write and present the submission.
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Judge scraps federal rules requiring employers to give workers time off for abortions
A federal judge on Wednesday struck down regulations requiring most U.S. employers to provide workers with time off and other accommodations for abortions. The ruling by U.S. District Judge David Joseph of the Western District of Louisiana was a victory for conservative lawmakers and religious groups who decried the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's decision to include abortion among pregnancy-related conditions in regulations on how to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which passed in December 2022. The EEOC's decision swiftly prompted several lawsuits and eroded what had been strong bipartisan support for the law designed to strengthen the rights of pregnant workers. Joseph, who was appointed by President Trump during his first term, ruled that the EEOC exceeded its authority by including abortion in its regulations. His ruling came in two consolidated lawsuits brought by the attorneys general of Louisiana and Mississippi, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic University and two Catholic dioceses. Joseph sided with the plaintiffs' argument that if Congress had intended for abortion to be covered by the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, "It would have spoken clearly when enacting the statute, particularly given the enormous social, religious, and political importance of the abortion issue in our nation at this time." Mississippi and Louisiana have near-total bans on abortion, except to save the life of the pregnant person or in cases of a rape that has been reported to law enforcement in Mississippi, and when there is a substantial risk of death or impairment to the patient in continuing the pregnancy and in cases where the fetus has a fatal abnormality in Louisiana. Bipartisan support for pregnant workers law The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act passed with widespread bipartisan support after a decade-long campaign by women's right advocates, who hailed it as a win for low-wage pregnant workers who have routinely been denied accommodations for everything from time off for medical appointments to the ability to sit or stand on the job. The federal law applies to employers with 15 or more employees. While the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 prohibits employers from firing pregnant workers, the law did little to guarantee that women would receive accommodations they might need at work. As a result, many women were forced to keep working under unsafe conditions, or were forced to take unpaid leave by employers who refused to accommodate their needs. But many Republican lawmakers, including Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who co-sponsored the bill, were furious when the EEOC stated that the law covered abortions. The EEOC's commissioners approved the rules in a 3-2 vote along party lines, with both Republican commissioners voting against it. Joseph vacated the provision of the EEOC regulations that included abortion as a "related medical condition" of pregnancy and childbirth. However, the rest of the regulations still stand. "Victory! A federal court has granted Louisiana's request to strike down an EEOC rule requiring employers to accommodate employees' purely elective abortions. This is a win for Louisiana and for life!" Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press. A Better Balance, the advocacy group that spearheaded a decade-long campaign for passage of the law, condemned the ruling. "This court's decision to deny workers reasonable accommodations for abortion-related needs is part of a broader attack on women's rights and reproductive freedom," A Better Balance President Inimai Chettiar said in a statement. EEOC adrift Wednesday's ruling comes as the Trump administration has moved to impose tumultuous changes at the EEOC that will almost certainly lead the agency to eventually rewrite the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act regulations. President Trump fired two of the EEOC's democratic commissioners before their terms ended, paving the way for him to establish a Republican majority and make major policy changes on how to interpret and enforce the nation's workplace civil rights laws. For now, Mr. Trump's move left EEOC without the quorum needed to make key decisions, including rescinding or revising regulations. The president tapped an assistant U.S. attorney in Florida, Brittany Panuccio, to fill one of the vacancies. If she confirmed by the Senate, the EEOC will regain its quorum. Acting EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, who voted against the regulations because of the abortion provision, has said she will work to change them. Similar lawsuits challenging the abortion provision are underway, including one filed by 17 states, led by Tennessee and Arkansas. In February, an appeals court ruled that lawsuit could proceed, overturning a lower court's decision to dismiss the complaint. Under former President Joe Biden, the Justice Department had defended the EEOC against those lawsuits but it is unclear whether it will continue to do so under the Trump administration. The Justice Department did not reply to request for comment on Wednesday's ruling. Chettiar said the Trump administration is unlikely to appeal the ruling, adding to its significance. "The impact of this is huge," Chettiar said in an interview with The Associated Press, calling the decision "symbolic and a big signal of where the right is when it comes to the rights of women." However, the Trump administration has continued defend the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act itself in a lawsuit brought by the state of Texas that seeks to overturn the law in its entirety.
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Judge vacates federal rules requiring employers to provide accommodations for abortions
A federal judge on Wednesday struck down regulations requiring most U.S. employers to provide workers with time off and other accommodations for abortions. The ruling by U.S. District Judge David Joseph of the Western District of Louisiana was a victory for conservative lawmakers and religious groups who decried the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 's decision to include abortion among pregnancy-related conditions in regulations on how to implement the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which passed in December 2022. The EEOC's decision swiftly prompted several lawsuits and eroded what had been strong bipartisan support for the law designed to strengthen the rights of pregnant workers. Joseph, who was appointed by President Donald Trump during his first term, ruled that the EEOC exceeded its authority by including abortion in its regulations. His ruling came in two consolidated lawsuits brought by the attorneys general of Louisiana and Mississippi, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic University and two Catholic dioceses. Joseph sided with the plaintiffs' argument that if Congress had intended for abortion to be covered by the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, 'it would have spoken clearly when enacting the statute, particularly given the enormous social, religious, and political importance of the abortion issue in our nation at this time.' "The EEOC has exceeded its statutory authority to implement the PWFA and, in doing so, both unlawfully expropriated the authority of Congress and encroached upon the sovereignty of the Plaintiff States under basic principles of federalism," Joseph wrote. Mississippi and Louisiana have near-total bans on abortion, except to save the life of the pregnant person or in cases of rape that has been reported to law enforcement in Mississippi, and when there is a substantial risk of death or impairment to the patient in continuing the pregnancy and in cases where the fetus has a fatal abnormality in Louisiana. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act passed with widespread bipartisan support after a decade-long campaign by women's right advocates, who hailed it as a win for low-wage pregnant workers who have routinely been denied accommodations for everything from time off for medical appointments to the ability to sit or stand on the job. The law applies to employers with 15 or more employees. While the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978 prohibits employers from firing pregnant workers, the law did little to guarantee that women would receive accommodations they might need at work. As a result, many women were forced to keep working under unsafe conditions, or were forced to take unpaid leave by employers who refused to accommodate their needs. The Pregnant Workers Workers Act requires employers to provide 'reasonable accommodations' for conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth, from time off for medical appointments to exemption for heavy-lifting, and places the burden on employers to prove 'undue hardships' for denying any requests. But many Republican lawmakers, including Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who co-sponsored the bill, were furious when the EEOC stated that the law covered abortions. The EEOC's commissioners approved the rules in a 3-2 vote along party lines, with both Republican commissioners voting against it. In his ruling, Joseph vacated the provision of the EEOC regulations that included abortion as a 'related medical condition' of pregnancy and childbirth. However, the rest of the regulations still stand. 'Victory! A federal court has granted Louisiana's request to strike down an EEOC rule requiring employers to accommodate employees' purely elective abortions. This is a win for Louisiana and for life!' Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press. A Better Balance, the workers advocacy group that spearheaded a decade-long campaign for passage of the law, condemned the ruling. 'This court's decision to deny workers reasonable accommodations for abortion-related needs is part of a broader attack on women's rights and reproductive freedom,' A Better Balance President Inimai Chettiar said in a statement. 'A Better Balance is working around the clock to defend this law that we fought so hard to pass. We won't stand by as these vital protections for women and all pregnant people are undermined,' Chettiar added. Wednesday's ruling comes as the Trump administration has moved to impose tumultuous changes at the EEOC that will almost certainly lead the agency to eventually rewrite the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act regulations. Trump fired two of the EEOC's democratic commissioners before their terms ended, paving the way for him to establish a Republican majority and make major policy changes on how to interpret and enforce the nation's workplace civil rights laws. For now, Trump's move left EEOC without the quorum needed to make key decisions, including rescinding or revising regulations. Trump tapped an assistant U.S. attorney in Florida, Brittany Panuccio, to fill one of the vacancies. If she confirmed by the Senate, the EEOC will regain its quorum. Acting EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, who voted against the regulations because of the abortion provision, has said she will work to change them. _______ The Associated Press' women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
