As MPs debate assisted dying, they must prepare to confront the depth of religious opposition

12 May 2025, 11:41 | Updated: 13 May 2025, 10:31

This week in Parliament, MPs will scrutinise the latest iteration of proposals to make assisted dying legal in England and Wales. 

The controversial private members’ bill has been the subject of much discussion since it was first tabled last year by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater. 

Debate has largely focused on the legal and ethical implications of the bill becoming law. However, an area that has received noticeably less attention is the bill’s significance to different religious groups across England and Wales. 

Now, for the first time, a new survey by Muslim media platform Hyphen has shed light on the deep religious divide in public opinion towards the issue.

In partnership with leading polling company Savanta, we surveyed nearly 5000 adults across England and Wales to understand how religious beliefs influence views on assisted dying. The results have been striking.

According to our findings, Muslims in England and Wales are three times more likely to oppose the Assisted Dying Bill than non-Muslims.

Some 43% of Muslims surveyed in late February and early March said they were against the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill, compared with 15% of non-Muslims.

Conversely, more than 60% of followers of religions other than Islam say they support the proposed law to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales.

Hyphen’s research found that Muslims’ views on the issue are also significantly more likely to be shaped by their personal religious beliefs than any other religious group.

Seven in ten Muslims we surveyed who opposed the bill cited their religious beliefs as a reason for doing so. This compared with just two in five amongst Christians.

Only a fifth of Muslims, however, said religion was their sole reason for objecting — suggesting that faith may also be driving other concerns, such as the state of palliative care or fear of coercion.

From this Friday, MPs will have the chance to debate the latest amendments to the bill. Many of these have already elicited controversy – including the move to scrap the requirement for a High Court judge to approve assisted dying cases.

As Parliament weighs the practical, legal and ethical implications of this generational legislation, it must also consider its significant religious impact as well.

The findings of our survey send a strong signal from the Muslim community in England and Wales that proposals to legalise assisted dying warrant a deeper conversation with faith communities.

People of a wide variety of faiths need to be included in these discussions so that the complexity of their views can be fully understood.

Burhan Wazir is Editor in Chief of Hyphen

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