Archbishop Charles Scicluna and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech have sent a letter to all members of Parliament telling them that they must safeguard the dignity of the human life. The Bishops sent this letter while referring to the current debate on assisted suicide.

In the letter, the Bishops insist that any act that ends life or accelerates death must remain outlawed.

An ALS sufferer, Mr Joe Magro, blazed the trail for a heated debate on euthanasia. He had called on Parliament to make assisted suicide legal. His plea was sent by a request to the government whip Godfrey Farrugia, who also chairs the Family Affairs Committee.

The letter explains how although the Bishops understand the suffering of those terminally ill persons and who feel that they need to end their life. However, they insisted that every act which accelerates death is not a question of freedom of choice.

"The objective of the law is to provide protection to every human life, in particular when this is disadvantaged and vulnerable, rather than to facilitate and promote its termination. Every society that weakens the legal prohibition of intentional killing of a human being would be eroding its moral and social fibre."

The Bishops argue that there is a difference between choosing to withdraw medical treatment and requesting acceleration of the process of death.

"While in the first instance, the intention is to refrain from any medical intervention out of respect for the natural process of death, in the second instance, the intention behind the medical intervention is to kill the patient."

"The autonomy enjoyed by every human being is not absolute or unlimited. The protection of human life, in particular when this is helpless and vulnerable, is an ethical and legal principle that goes beyond the principle of autonomy. If in this context, the principle of autonomy is understood in the absolute sense, then this impoverishes the medical vocation by reducing it to a mere "technical" function whereby the doctor performs whatever the patient wishes. In such a case, the doctor would betray his or her mission by causing death rather than protecting human life."

The Bishops write that the value of the human life does not depend on sickness and health, while saying that stand shoulder-to-shoulder with persons facing terminal illnesses and severe pain.

"We appeal to each Member of Parliament to continue safeguarding the dignity of human life at every stage, from its conception to natural death. Among the best achievements that our country has striven for and nurtured in our Maltese culture throughout these long years, is the respect for human life at every stage. This is our national heritage that we must continue to cherish and consolidate in order to pass it on intact to future generations."

Full letter