In the coming days this issue will return to Parliament as Baroness Meacher seeks to bring forward legislation which will allow assisted dying.

Or, in the words of some opponents of the Bill, it will enable state-approved euthanasia.

Previous attempts at changing legislation have argued that such a move would offer empowerment to the dying and increase choice for those with life limiting conditions on how to end their lives.

But the impact of enabling such choice has consequences which we have seen elsewhere in countries which have already gone down this road. In Belgium and the Netherlands, where assisted dying laws were passed under the banner of enabling choice for those with terminal conditions, assisted deaths are now legal on the basis of mental illness, learning disability and autism. Is it any wonder that of the 12 organisations representing disabled people in the UK none of them supports an Assisted Dying Bill?

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My piece for @TheNorthernEcho ahead of Friday's debate in the House of Lords.
We should assist people to live – not to die https://t.co/wy7UDHAqpm

— Arun Arora (@RevArun) October 20, 2021

“The same traumatic awe, or awe-filled trauma, will strike the soul of every thoughtful Christian with unconverted relatives and friends who takes seriously the promise that Jesus the Saviour will one day return to judge the living and the dead.”

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Rodin’s ‘The Kiss’ and ‘The Thinker’ are now regarded as masterpieces in their own right, but neither of them started out as individual works.

They were part of his elaborate composition ‘The Gates of Hell’. Find out more in our #RodinExhibition blog: https://t.co/7xvCbFwiPS pic.twitter.com/4UU7YdK5Qs

— British Museum (@britishmuseum) February 17, 2018

Artificial intelligence is changing how we interact with everything, from food to healthcare, travel and also religion.

Experts say major global faiths are discussing their relationship with AI, and some are starting to incorporate this technology into their worship.

Read it all and watch the whole report (a little more than 6 minutes).

How are robots changing religion?

Really interesting piece by @SofiaBettiza and @EloiseAlanna looking at how different global faiths are using AI.https://t.co/JCQmIXzRXf

— Harry Farley (@HarryFarls) October 21, 2021

The first in-person meeting of the House of Bishops since March 2020 was held over a two-day period (October 19 & 20) in York.

The Bishop of Manchester opened the meeting following opening prayers.

Two safeguarding items were presented for consideration and discussion.

The first item updated the House regarding changes in safeguarding governance, with the creation of the Independent Safeguarding Board and the recent appointment of the Board’s Chair and a Survivor Advocate. The House noted the progress made to date.

The second item concerned House of Bishops Safeguarding Guidance on Safeguarding Children, Young People and Adults that has been revised and presented to the House for approval.

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Surgeons in New York have successfully attached a kidney grown in a genetically altered pig to a human patient and found that the organ worked normally, a scientific breakthrough that one day may yield a vast new supply of organs for severely ill patients.

Researchers have long sought to grow organs in pigs that are suitable for transplantation into humans. Technologies like cloning and genetic engineering have brought that vision closer to reality in recent years, but testing these experimental organs in humans has presented daunting ethical questions.

So surgeons at N.Y.U. Langone Health took an astonishing step: With the family’s consent, they attached the pig’s kidney to a brain-dead patient who was kept alive on a ventilator, and then followed the body’s response while taking measures of the kidney’s function. It is the first operation of its kind.

The researchers tracked the results for just 54 hours, and many questions remained to be answered about the long-term consequences of such an operation. The procedure will not be available to patients any time soon, as there are significant medical and regulatory hurdles to overcome.

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A kidney from a genetically engineered pig appeared functional after attachment to a human, scientists announced on Tuesday. If the research pans out, a vast new stream of organs for transplantation eventually may be available to desperate patients. https://t.co/iJN4c36WdC

— NYT Science (@NYTScience) October 20, 2021

The three faith leaders highlight the risks and dangers entailed in the provisions of the Bill and the ‘real-life’ practical inadequacies of its proposed safeguards.

The common good is not served by policies or actions that would place very many vulnerable people in more vulnerable positions, they warn.

They appeal for people of all faiths and none to join with them through the ‘common bond of humanity’ in caring for the most vulnerable in society.

In contrast to the Bill, the faith leaders call for measures to make high-quality palliative care available to all at the end of their lives.

The aim of a compassionate society should be ‘assisted living’ rather than an acceptance of assisted suicide, they note.

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The aim of a compassionate society should be assisted living rather than an acceptance of assisted suicide.@CardinalNichols, @chiefrabbi and I appeal to all people – of whatever faith or belief – to care for the most vulnerable within our society:https://t.co/jMK1IRUysd

— Archbishop of Canterbury (@JustinWelby) October 20, 2021

God, the giver of life,
whose Holy Spirit wells up within your Church:
by the Spirit’s gifts equip us to live the gospel of Christ
and make us eager to do your will,
that we may share with the whole creation
the joys of eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Good morning!💚 pic.twitter.com/EOrT4Yb1tr

— OlgaML (@MlOlga) October 21, 2021

Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will dwell in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.

–Psalm 37:3-5

Morning pic.twitter.com/veKARV7TNz

— Beautiful Places (@beautifullsea) October 21, 2021