Resources
In this section you will find our resources library. Either use the subject categories to navigate or the search and filter system.
Skip to resources searchThe resources provided by this website broadly fall in to three categories.
First there are papers on bioethical topics written or commissioned by members of the network. In some cases these will be papers that have previously been published in other contexts and are republished here with permission and/or are already in the public domain.
Secondly there are links to documents by the Magisterium of the Catholic Church (that is, by a Pope or an Ecumenical Council or by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith) that are relevant to bioethics. These links will be accompanied by a short description but the description is not to be understood as a commentary or interpretation. It is provided only as an aid to help find material on particular topics.
Finally there are resources that have been produced by other organisations, such as reports or guides. These resources will generally have been published before and may be available on other websites, but are reproduced here for convenience. Where the organisation is operational and/or owns the copyright, these resources will reproduced only with permission.
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Preventing not assisting suicide
September 10, 2026
Today, 10 September is World Suicide Prevention Day 2026. This year, the day occurs immediately before the date that the UK Parliament is due to debate the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, a Bill to change the law on ‘assisting or encouraging’ suicide. To highlight this remarkable juxtaposition the Augustine Bioethics Network (ABN)
Feast Day of Saint Augustine
August 28, 2026
The 28th of August is the Feast Day of Saint Augustine of Hippo, patron of the Augustine Bioethics Network. Augustine is relevant for bioethics because bioethics presupposes an understanding of the human person and of the body and society. Augustine presents a vision within which both soul and body possess inherent human dignity and both
Writing or speaking to your MP
August 6, 2026
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill introduced by Lauren Edwards MP would make it legal for a doctor to encourage or assist the suicide of someone with a ‘terminal illness’ (which would include conditions that people could live with for years with appropriate treatment and support). The Bill is a ‘Private Members’ Bill’,
New resources on ‘assisted dying’ (assisted suicide and euthanasia)
August 6, 2026
The Augustine Bioethics Network is making available more resources on assisted suicide and euthanasia, some of which specifically relate to a Bill introduced in the House of Commons that would legalise a doctor to encourage or assist the suicide of a patient with a progressive illness that could be terminal if untreated. On Friday 11
Safe Spaces for the Dying
ABN Papers
August 5, 2026
Protecting care homes and hospices from forced participation in assisted suicide What are conscience clauses? Conscience clauses are explicit provisions in law that create exemptions from legal or contractual obligations that would otherwise be imposed upon citizens or bodies. For example, in England from the mid-18th to the mid-20th century, the state compelled citizens to
Euthanasia Case Studies from Belgium: Concerns About Legislation and Hope for Palliative Care
ABN Papers
June 23, 2026
Summary In examining the ethics of euthanasia and assisted suicide (EAS), it is common to focus on presenting arguments which either support or oppose the legalisation of the practice. As EAS is now legal in many countries (and in some cases, has been for many years) however, there is emerging evidence of the effect of
Twenty questions on assisted dying and suicide prevention
ABN Papers
June 23, 2026
Twenty questions on assisted dying and suicide prevention David Albert Jones[i] [i] Professor of Bioethics, St Mary’s University, Twickenham and Research Fellow at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford University, but writing here in a personal capacity. This paper has not been through a formal peer review process, though it has benefited from comments from colleagues. It is
Salus Populi Suprema Lex: A Legal Critique of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
ABN Papers
June 22, 2026
Executive Summary The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill (‘the Bill’) introduced by Kim Leadbeater MP which is currently being considered by the House of Commons possesses purported safeguards which have been previously proposed and subject to sceptical critique by the Divisional Court of the High Court and the Court of Appeal, as well
Disability and Assisted Suicide: Elucidating Some Key Concerns
ABN Papers
June 22, 2026
Summary As euthanasia and assisted suicide (EAS) becomes more common and more permissive, disabled persons grow increasingly concerned about how this will negatively impact them. Long opposed to EAS, disabled persons’ organisations have raised a number of concerns. This paper explores some of the background and context of those concerns and examines a number of
Voluntary Euthanasia & Physician-assisted Suicide: The Two ‘Slippery Slope’ Arguments
ABN Papers
June 18, 2026
Summary The criminal law and professional medical ethics have long held it wrong for physicians intentionally to kill patients who request it (voluntary euthanasia or VE) or to assist them in suicide (physician-assisted suicide or PAS). This is because all patients have lives worth living: whatever their sickness or disability, they share a fundamental dignity
A Human Right to Suicide Prevention: Analysis of ‘The Impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill III’
ABN Papers
June 15, 2026
Executive Summary The Memorandum presents the Government’s view that the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). However, the Memorandum is not a statutory ‘statement of compatibility’. A major flaw in the Memorandum is that it fails to consider suicide prevention. The right to suicide
Ending Life as Cutting Costs: Analysis of ‘The Impact of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill I’
ABN Papers
June 15, 2026
Executive Summary The Department of Health and Social Care has produced two Impact Assessments and one Memorandum on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. This paper concerns the first of these, which focuses on the financial costs and cost reductions of implementing the Bill. The financial IA considers evidence from other jurisdictions but