The Rt Revd Christopher Herbert, Bishop of St Albans, has criticised the British Medical Journal for publishing five articles (including an editorial) effectively in favour of euthanasia but only one article against it.

"There needs to be a balanced approach to reporting views about assisted dying as the subject assumes greater prominence in the run-up to the House of Lords debate on 10 October," he said.

Bishop Christopher, who chairs the Hospital Chaplaincies Council, and was a member of the House of Lords select committee whose report is to be debated on 10 October also expressed concern that the BMJ had not considered that there might be a theological perspective to include in this public and emotionally charged debate.

"It is also all too easy," he said, "for such unbalanced reporting to foster the erroneous impression that there is widespread support among doctors for a change in the law to allow medical assistance with suicide or euthanasia. The great majority of doctors who wrote to the committee were strongly opposed to a change in the law, while the General Medical Council warned that such a change would have serious implications for the doctor-patient relationship and would be difficult to reconcile with medical ethical principles."

"Aspects of the debate given prominence by the British Medical Association's spokeswoman in the Journal suggest that consideration of safeguards and conscience clauses is all that is required now," Bishop Christopher said. "This is fundamentally to overlook the fact that the law has not been changed to allow assisted dying and many within and beyond the Church feel strongly that the law as it stands should not be changed. Does the BMA really want to give people the legal right to demand and require death?"

Bishop Christopher welcomed the recent announcement by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) opposing any change in legislation. "Any changes in current legislation would be likely to fall heavily on GPs and it is very encouraging that the RCGP have publicly promoted their opposition to any legislative change," he said.

Further information from: Church of England Communications Office
Alexander Nicoll and Steve Jenkins
tel (020) 7898-1326
Anna McCrum (St Albans Diocese)
tel (01727) 818143 or 07956 547353