International

Death-themed UK festival seeks to normalize assisted suicide 

funeral home, Canada

A month-long festival promoting assisted suicide to individuals struggling to come to terms with their mortality is set to return to the United Kingdom (UK) this month.

The Sheffield Life, Loss, and Death Festival summarized its goal as “reducing the stigma” surrounding death and various forms of dying. The festival is being hosted by Compassionate Sheffield – a nonprofit organization funded by the National Health Service (NHS), which characterizes assisted suicide as a viable option for end-of-life care and calls the topic “complex and shrouded in misinformation.”

The event, according to an online itinerary advertising its activities, will feature a panel comprised of “local care professionals” discussing assisted suicide and proposed legislation that would legalize the practice in the UK. Other events highlighted among the festival’s offerings include a facilitated discussion on “resources, created for and with the queer community, relating to end of life care, death and grief,” hosted by the author of the Queer Funeral Guide.

Assisted suicide legislation, known as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, passed the House of Commons in November 2024 by a vote of 330-275, but has received significant pushback from faith leaders and others concerned about the bill’s ethical implications and practical concerns.

READ: After years of maligning pregnancy centers, abortion advocates try to imitate them

Leading psychiatrists have urged lawmakers not to pass the bill, and some MPs themselves have vocally opposed the measure, with one calling it “less credible by the day.”

“In short, this is no way to legislate on such an important and morally complex issue,” stated Cardinal Vincent Nichols, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, in an open letter urging Catholics to protest the legislation. 

While open dialogue about death can be beneficial, pro-life leaders urge that such conversations should reinforce the provision of value-affirming care for those facing end-of-life challenges rather than convenience.

“No one should be dispatched as a burden to others,” Cardinal Nichols concluded. “Instead, a good society would prioritize care for the elderly, the vulnerable, and the weak. The lives of our families are richer for cherishing their presence.”

For more information about a pro-life perspective on assisted suicide, Live Action Founder and President Lila Rose discussed the topic in a December 2024 episode of the Lila Rose Podcast with Dr. Charlie Camosy, author of eight books and professor of Theological and Social Ethics at Fordham University.

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