It has been confirmed that the major Stage One debate and vote on Liam McArthur’s assisted suicide Bill in Scotland will be taking place in less than a fortnight, on Tuesday 13 May.
The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill is a Scotland-only assisted suicide Bill currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood. It is separate from the Bill currently progressing through Westminster that proposes legalising assisted suicide in England and Wales.
This Scottish Bill has considerably wider scope than the Westminster Bill for those who would be eligible for state assistance in suicide. The Bill itself defines terminal illness loosely, saying that it applies in cases in which someone has an “advanced and progressive disease, illness or condition from which they are unable to recover and that can reasonably be expected to cause their premature death”. There is no time limit given for prognosis, and Liam McArthur’s Bill would also legalise assisted suicide for someone aged 16 years or over.
The Bill, introduced by Liberal Democrat MSP, Liam McArthur, in March last year, will now be debated and voted on by MSPs on 13 May.
A group of experts in medicine, disability, sociology, law, and other fields have written to the First Minister, John Swinney, cautioning that “‘assisted dying’ is inherently unsafe and practically unworkable”. This comes at the same time as warnings from people with disabilities, many of whom are “absolutely terrified” at the prospect of the legalisation of assisted suicide.
Coercion and being a burden
One in four Scottish women experiences domestic abuse in their lifetime, and stark warnings have been issued to MSPs by experts that the Bill will be a “lethal weapon” for abusers.
Speaking in relation to the Leadbeater assisted suicide Bill in England and Wales, experts have warned that risks of coercion are “underplayed significantly in cases of abuse of older people”.
Data from Oregon, where assisted suicide is legal, shows that 46.6% of people who ended their lives by assisted suicide have cited being a “burden on family, friends/caregivers” as a motivating factor.
Additionally, when complications have been recorded, patients have experienced difficulty swallowing, drug regurgitation and seizures, and have even regained consciousness. On one occasion, a patient took over five days to die. The Canadian Association of MAID Assessors and Providers has noted that patients can experience regurgitation, burning and vomiting. Assisted suicide does not automatically entail a dignified death, as supporters claim.
Right To Life UK has just launched its Support Not Suicide Scotland campaign – a new campaign that will be running in Scotland focused solely on defeating the McArthur Bill. As part of this campaign, the group is asking people in Scotland to email their MSPs using Right To Life UK’s tool, asking them to vote against the Bill.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “Legalising assisted suicide would have tragic consequences for many of the most vulnerable people in our communities. Particularly in the context of insufficient access to excellent end-of-life care for all Scots, it would be disastrous to prioritise legalising assisted suicide. Liam McArthur’s Bill is a disaster waiting to happen”.
“It is absolutely vital that all MSPs understand the strength of feeling and depth of concern that people have about this Bill. MSPs need to be made aware that there are large numbers of voters who do not want to see this extreme and unwarranted change to the law in Scotland”.
“If you’re from Scotland, you can play a key role and make a significant difference today by contacting your MSPs to ask them to vote against this Bill. A vote against the Bill gives the Scottish Parliament the opportunity to have the real debate that is needed, which concerns how best to care for people in Scotland as they near the end of their lives. People in Scotland need support, not suicide”.
