A Revival of Compassion: Day of Prayer Against Assisted Suicide

All over Europe, the rising tide of secularism means that Christians and the Christian worldview is often in a minority. Perhaps this is seen most clearly in the rush to pass assisted dying (or, more correctly, assisted suicide) legislation. Just last week France joined the lengthening list of countries to begin the enactment of such legislation. The Scottish parliament voted in favour of a similar bill on 13 May.

At Westminster, things are slightly further along with Kim Leadbetter’s private members’ bill. The next key date is a final vote in the House of Commons on Friday 20 June 2025.

We shouldn’t be surprised by this shift. But neither should we be inactive. And we don’t need to be.

You can still write to your MP, many of whom seem undecided still.

And, even more significantly, we can pray.

Day of Prayer: Wednesday 11 June

Make this topic a subject for prayer in your small groups, gatherings and prayer meetings. And consider joining others too.

Our friends at the Christian Institute, together with the Christian Medical Fellowship, CARE, Christian Concern, the Evangelical Alliance and Affinity (of which FIEC is a member body) have called for a day of prayer for Wednesday 11 June.

We like the way the day has been framed:

"to pray for a revival of compassion in our society, that we would prioritise caring for the sick in their darkest moments, instead of seeking to help them to end their lives."

Amen to that!

Why not use that day in your church to do just that?

For content, the Evangelical Alliance website has a useful guide of things to pray for.

Here are a few more ideas for how to make it happen:

• You could organise something early morning. For those who are working, encourage them to think about setting the alarm early to pray together. Put the coffee on and have a drop-in prayer meeting: encourage people to come for as long as they can before other duties call.
• You could plan something online. Prayer meetings are one of the few church gatherings that can work well online and allow access to those who might not otherwise be able to attend. Go for a lunchtime slot, then some of those who are at work could join you, even for some of the time, during their lunch break.
• Plan something for the evening. A special situation sometimes calls for a special event.

Lord, have mercy!