Scottish Parliament to discuss new assisted dying bill

By Lisa Zengarini

The Scottish Parliament is consulting on a new controversial bill to legalize assisted dying in Scotland.

“The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill” was drafted by the Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur and was published in March this year.

If approved by the the Holyrood Parliament, Scotland would be the first UK nation enabling terminally ill individuals to access an assisted death.

Public online consultation on Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill

Under the proposed text patients could only request medical assistance to end their life if they had a terminal illness and had been ruled mentally fit to make the decision by two doctors. In addition, the patient must be aged 16 or over, a resident of Scotland for at least 12 months, and must administer the life-ending medication him or herself.

In view of the floor debate, early in June the Scottish Parliament’s Health Committee launched an online consultation which is to close on August 16 to explore public views on the issue.

Supporters of the legislation argue that legalizing assisted dying would ease suffering. Opponents, including the Catholic Church, the Church of Scotland, and the Scottish Association of Mosques worry that some terminally-ill people could feel under pressure to end their lives prematurely.

Catholic bishops:  “Called to care, not to kill”

In a strongly worded pastoral letter issued in March this year the Catholic bishops of Scotland said that allowing “us to kill our brothers and sisters, takes us down a dangerous spiral that always puts at risk the most vulnerable members of our society, including the elderly, the disabled, and those who struggle with mental health”. The letter, titled “Called to Care, Not to Kill”, invited Catholics to contact MSPs, urging them to work collaboratively to improve palliative care and to reject the dangerous proposal to legalise assisted suicide, which they said “would devalue life and put immense pressure on the most vulnerable to end their lives prematurely.”

Two previous bills rejected 

This will be the third time that the Scottish Parliament has considered the issue.

In 2010, MSPs rejected Margo MacDonald's End of Life Assistance Bill by 85 votes to 16. Another bill on Assisted Suicide was rejected in 2015 by 82 votes to 36.

The Scottish government says ministers and Scottish National Party MPS will not be instructed how to vote, as the matter is an issue of individual conscience. First Minister Humza Yousaf has indicated that he is likely to vote against the bill.

A number of countries have legalised some form of assisted dying. These include Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Spain, Colombia and 11 states in the US where it is known as "physician-assisted dying".