Scotland could be first UK country to allow terminally ill to seek assistance to die
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Scotland could become the first part of the UK to allow the terminally ill to seek assistance to end their lives after legislation was tabled at Holyrood.
Liam McArthur, the Liberal Democrat MSP, unveiled a private member’s bill in the Scottish Parliament that would give mentally competent people over 16 who have been diagnosed with a terminal condition the right to end their life.
People would not be able to opt for the procedure for any other reason, and safeguards would include independent assessments by two doctors and a 14-day cooling-off period.
In addition, there would also be a requirement for those requesting an assisted death to have lived in Scotland for at least a year and they must administer the life-ending medication themselves.
Doctors and others opposed to the procedure would be able to exempt themselves from being involved.
Final proposal backed by 36 MSPs
Two previous attempts at Holyrood to change the law on the issue were decisively defeated but Mr McArthur expressed confidence it would pass this time.
The leaders of the three main parties – Humza Yousaf for the SNP, Douglas Ross for the Tories and Anas Sarwar for Labour – have all indicated their opposition.
But MSPs are expected to be given a free vote on a conscience issue. Sources close to Mr McArthur said senior SNP Cabinet ministers backed the plan despite Mr Yousaf’s opposition.
A final proposal for a Bill received backing from 36 MSPs – more than a quarter of the total at Holyrood and as many as the number who voted for the previous legislation that was rejected.
‘Strong public support’
Mr McArthur’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill is expected to be debated in the autumn.
If passed, Scotland could be the first part of the UK to legalise the practice. Sir Keir Starmer has promised a vote in the next parliament on allowing it in England if he becomes prime minister.
Unveiling the legislation at Holyrood, he said: “This Bill contains robust safeguards, similar to those which have been safely and successfully introduced in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and the United States, where they continue to enjoy strong public support.
“Our current laws on assisted dying are failing too many terminally ill Scots at the end of life. Too often, and despite the best efforts of palliative care, dying people are facing traumatic deaths that harm both them and those they leave behind.”
Religious groups’ opposition
Mr Ross said he had “carefully considered” the proposals but had not been convinced that they contained “adequate safeguards to protect vulnerable individuals”.
He confirmed Tory MSPs would not be whipped and Jackson Carlaw, his predecessor as Scottish Tory leader, made clear his strong support for the legislation.
But religious groups including the Catholic Church made clear their opposition. John Keenan, the Bishop of Paisley, warned the Bill “attacks human dignity and introduces a dangerous idea that a citizen can lose their value and worth”.
He said: “Assisted suicide sends a message that there are situations when suicide is an appropriate response to one’s individual circumstances, worries, anxieties. It normalises suicide and accepts that some people are beyond hope.
“Furthermore, assisted suicide undermines trust in doctors and damages the doctor-patient relationship. In countries where assisted suicide is legal, there is evidence that vulnerable people, including the elderly and disabled, experience external pressure to end their lives.”
‘No place for medicalised killing’
Senior medics also expressed concerns, with Dr Fiona MacCormick, of the Association for Palliative Medicine, accusing supporters of using “euphemistic language” that avoided the word “suicide”.
Dr MacCormick told BBC Scotland she was also concerned about the potential for inaccurate diagnosis and prognosis, undetected coercion, and fluctuating mental capacity in seriously ill patients.
“As a palliative care doctor, when I see patients who are suffering, I don’t see the answer to their suffering as being to end the life of the sufferer,” she added.
Prof David Galloway, a former president of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, said: “Medicalised killing should never find a place as a health-care option. It runs counter to every instinct involved in medical training and practice.”
