McArthur: Look terminally ill Scots in the eye and back Assisted Dying bill
Liam McArthur has today made his final pitch to MSPs as the Scottish Parliament prepares to vote on the most comprehensively safeguarded assisted dying bill in the world.
On Tuesday morning at 9.30, Mr McArthur will meet with terminally Scots and fellow supporters of his bill outside the Scottish Parliament as they urge MSPs to back the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults bill.
He will be available for photos, broadcast clips and interviews.
Over the past week:
• There were 175 amendments accepted, 83 from those who opposed the Bill at Stage 1 (47%)
• It has been confirmed that the bill is legislatively competent with section 104 orders agreed and confirmation from the Secretary of State for Scotland that the UK Government will deliver these protections. This was reiterated by the Scottish Health Secretary on Monday morning.
• Every health professional can be assured their rights are strengthened - no duty to participate, no detriment and the bill cannot be enacted until the UK Government enables relevant provisions relating to the training, qualifications and experience requirements for healthcare professionals
• Daniel Johnson's amendment ensures that patients must have a six months prognosis
• Ruth Maguire's amendment doubles down on the safeguards to detect and prevent coercion. During the assessment, the doctor must carry out as assessment in private to make sure the person is acting voluntarily. They must consider direct and indirect coercion
• Fulton McGregor's amendment ensures doctors making assessments make a request to the person's local authority as to whether they are being provided with social or mental health care, adding in even more protection for vulnerable people
• Palliative care access and uptake will be greatly improved as a result of amendments including doctors carrying out assessments must discuss with the person their diagnosis, prognosis, treatment options, palliative, hospice and other care available including symptom management and psychological support, and requirement to assess provision of palliative care alongside the Act to Scottish Ministers’ 5 year review
• Scottish Ministers will be required to prepare and publish guidance relating to a number of issues which will help consistency in practice, and that guidance will be reviewed by Parliament for approval, and be reviewed every 5 years adding an additional layer of oversight to the guidance.
The bill will now face a final vote on Tuesday evening at 10pm.
Liam McArthur said:
“When I launched this bill, I said that I wanted to deliver a robust and well safeguarded law that would give terminally ill Scots with mental capacity the choice of an assisted death if they wanted one. After five years of development, consultation, revision and amendment, that bill now sits before Parliament.
“Throughout this process public support has been unwavering. This bill has the overwhelming support of a significant majority of Scots regardless of religious affiliation, political party or disability status.
“MSPs have added detailed amendments on coercion, prognosis and protection of vulnerable groups and there are cast iron protections for healthcare professionals ready to go.
“To my MSP colleagues I want to say this: This is now the toughest and most comprehensively safeguarded assisted dying bill in the world. If you believe that dying people should not have to suffer against their will and you have heard, like I have, of the many instances where they have been simply failed by the lack of compassion and safety in our current law, you now have to back this bill. It is time to look terminally ill Scots in the eye and make this change.”