15 Faith Leaders Unite to Fight Assisted Suicide in Wales Before Critical Senedd Vote

Welsh Faith Leaders Demand Senedd Reject Assisted Suicide Bill Before February 24 Vote

Faith leaders from across Wales have signed a powerful joint statement urging the Senedd to reject the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill ahead of the crucial Legislative Consent vote scheduled for 24 February 2026.

The open letter, signed by 15 leaders from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh, and Hindu communities, calls on Members of the Senedd to withhold consent for the Bill. Among the signatories are Catholic Archbishop Mark O'Toole of Cardiff Menevia, five Church in Wales bishops including Archbishop Cherry Vann of Monmouth, and Rev Dyfrig Rees, President of the Free Church Council of Wales.

The statement declares that the legislation would make vulnerable people across Wales feel like a burden on their families and the health service.

If this bill is implemented in Wales, many will feel insecure about the future and conclude that they are a burden on loved ones and the health service. Cherishing life means building a society where nobody is seen as a burden.

The faith leaders emphasized that Wales has a proud tradition of compassion and dignity, and called for investment in palliative care and the hospice movement instead of legalizing assisted suicide.

True compassion does not mean ending a life. It means accompanying those who suffer, easing their pain, supporting families, and ensuring that no one feels abandoned, a burden, or without worth.

The letter was also signed by Rabbi Michoel Rose of Cardiff United Synagogue, Dr Abdul Azim Ahmed of the Muslim Council of Wales, Gurmit Singh Randhawa MBE of the Sikh Council of Wales, and Dr Sakti Guha Niyogi of the Hindu Council of Wales. Tim Rowlands of the Evangelical Alliance in Wales also added his name.

The Senedd previously voted 26 to 19 against the principle of assisted suicide in 2024. While the Senedd's consent is required under parliamentary convention for UK Bills affecting devolved matters, it cannot ultimately block Westminster from passing the legislation.

Wales Assisted Suicide Vote: Multi Faith Coalition Urges Senedd to Protect the Vulnerable

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill passed through the House of Commons last year and is currently being debated in the House of Lords. The legislation was not included in Labour's manifesto, and its implementation in Wales requires the Senedd's Legislative Consent Motion.

The faith leaders concluded their statement with a direct appeal to lawmakers.

Wales deserves better than this proposed legislation. We therefore urge Members of the Senedd, as they consider this Legislative Consent Motion, to withhold consent for this Bill and to continue to promote policies which truly care for the vulnerable and uphold the value of life until its natural end.

The Crusader's Opinion

When 15 faith leaders from five different religions stand together to say the same thing, the world should listen. This is not about politics. This is about whether we as a civilization still believe that every human life has value from first breath to last, or whether we have become so spiritually hollow that we tell the sick and the elderly they would be doing us all a favor by dying.

The culture of death does not stop at "terminal illness." It never does. It always expands. Always. Today it is the terminally ill. Tomorrow it is the depressed, the disabled, the lonely. Look at Canada. Look at Belgium. The slope is not slippery. It is a cliff.

Wales voted against this once before. They need to do it again. And this time, make it permanent.

Take Action

• Contact your Senedd Member directly before the 24 February vote and urge them to withhold legislative consent. Find your MS at senedd.wales/find-a-member-of-the-senedd
• Share the full statement from the faith leaders with your church, mosque, synagogue, or temple community. Read it at cbcew.org.uk
• Support hospice and palliative care in Wales by donating to Hospices of Wales
• Pray for the Members of the Senedd as they prepare to vote. Organize prayer vigils in your local churches ahead of the 24 February debate.
• Support Christian advocacy work through www.TheShepherdsShield.org