Welsh Parliament Backs Assisted Suicide Bill in Shocking Reversal as Christians Sound the Alarm

Welsh Parliament Narrowly Votes to Back Assisted Suicide Despite Christian Opposition

The Welsh Senedd has narrowly voted in favour of a Legislative Consent Motion on Kim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, with 28 members voting for and 23 against.

The vote, which took place on February 24, 2026, means that if the Westminster legislation passes, assisted suicide could become available through the Welsh NHS. Two members abstained from the vote.

Care Not Killing (CNK), a coalition opposing assisted suicide, expressed deep disappointment at the result. CEO Dr. Gordon Macdonald warned that the law would "place huge pressure on terminally ill, disabled people" to end their lives prematurely.

The law would place huge pressure on terminally ill, disabled people to end their lives prematurely.

Dr. Gordon Macdonald, CEO of Care Not Killing

Dr. Macdonald cited research from Oregon showing that most people who choose assisted suicide do so because they fear being a burden to their family members. He also raised concerns that the bill could permit assisted suicide for people with eating disorders and insulin dependent diabetes, and called instead for an extension of high quality palliative care.

Ross Hendry, chief executive of Christian advocacy group CARE, called the bill "irredeemably flawed." He noted that the Senedd had previously voted against assisted suicide in principle in October 2024, only weeks before the Second Reading of the Leadbeater Bill at Westminster.

Legalizing assisted suicide in Wales would open a Pandora's box and put enormous pressure on the most vulnerable.

Ross Hendry, CEO of CARE

Hendry argued that Wales lacks adequate palliative care, social care, and disability support, and that vulnerable people would "feel compelled to die out of desperation."

Welsh Senedd Votes for Assisted Dying Bill Amid Fierce Opposition From Faith Leaders

The House of Commons previously supported Leadbeater's bill last June, and the House of Lords is currently scrutinising the legislation. Numerous peers have expressed opposition, and a record number of amendments have been proposed. Opponents have described the pressure placed on members by Kim Leadbeater and Lord Falconer as "pure blackmail."

Due to a concerted filibustering effort in the House of Lords, it looks almost certain that the bill will not pass this Parliamentary session, meaning it would need to be brought back in a future session.

Faith leaders from across Wales, including the Church in Wales, the Catholic Church, and evangelical groups, had urged Senedd members to reject the motion ahead of the vote.

The Crusader's Opinion

Let us be absolutely clear about what happened in Wales this week. A parliament that already voted AGAINST assisted suicide in 2024 was bullied and pressured into reversing course. The same politicians who claim to champion the vulnerable just voted to give vulnerable people a fast track to death instead of the care they deserve. Wales does not even have adequate palliative care, and their solution is to make killing legal? This is not compassion. This is abandonment dressed up in the language of dignity. Every Christian in Britain should be outraged. When a society decides that some lives are not worth fighting for, it has already lost its soul. We do not get to play God with human life. Not now. Not ever.

Take Action

• Contact your local Senedd member and MP to express opposition to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. Find your representatives at members.senedd.wales
• Support Care Not Killing's campaign for better palliative care at carenotkilling.org.uk
• Support CARE's advocacy work protecting the vulnerable at care.org.uk
• Pray for the House of Lords to reject this bill during the current scrutiny stage
• Support Christian ministries caring for the terminally ill and disabled. Donate to www.TheShepherdsShield.org
• Share this article and start conversations in your church about why Christians must defend the sanctity of life at every stage