Southern African Catholic Bishops strengthens response to assisted dying court challenge

The Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference resolved to increase its engagement regarding assisted dying in South Africa through legal advocacy and theological reflection. During their August 2026 plenary, the bishops mandated the Department for the Promotion of Integral Human Development to seek legal advice and advocate against assisted dying. The bishops also decided to appoint moral theologians to create a theological response to the issue.

These decisions follow a report by Father Stan Muyebe, a Dominican priest and secretary of the department. The conference also implemented a name change for the department, which was previously called the Department for Social Action.

The Church's response comes as the group Dignity South Africa (DignitySA) challenges the common-law prohibition on medically assisted dying in the Gauteng Division of the High Court in Pretoria. DignitySA is asking the court to declare the prohibition unconstitutional, arguing it limits rights to human dignity, equality, and bodily and psychological integrity. The legal challenge focuses on individuals facing intolerable suffering from terminal illnesses and seeks a court order directing Parliament to create a legal framework for regulated medically assisted dying.