No excuses: MSPs to start final consideration of Assisted Dying bill
Speaking ahead of the start of Stage 3 of consideration of his Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults bill, Liam McArthur MSP has today said that MSPs must not deprive the public of a heavily safeguarded and compassionate choice for terminally ill Scots.
MRP analysis of new polling confirms that every constituency and region in the country supports assisted dying, with support soaring to 80% in Moray and Argyll and Bute, and 87% in Banffshire and Buchan Coast.
The polling also shows strong support for law change in all five party leaders’ constituencies, including 77% support in John Swinney’s constituency of Perthshire North, 73% in Alex Cole-Hamilton’s Edinburgh Western constituency, 72% in Glasgow, Anas Sarwar’s region, 70% in Green co-leader Ross Greer and Conservative leader Russell Findlay’s region of West Scotland and 69% in Green co-leader Gillian Mackay’s region of Central Scotland.
Liam McArthur said:
"Hundreds of millions of people already live in jurisdictions where assisted dying is legal. They are soon to be joined by territories like the Isle of Man and Jersey. It is overwhelmingly the will of the people here in Scotland, backed by Scots regardless of religious affiliation, political party or disability status.
“Just last week we heard from terminally ill people and those who have lost loved ones about the ways in which the ban on assisted dying is failing them. It was simply harrowing. Their stories underlined that voting against this bill has serious consequences, without safe access to this choice we would be condemning a number of dying people to unimaginable suffering.
"By the time it reaches its final vote my bill will have had five years of development and scrutiny. Over that time, it has drawn record levels of public consultation and engagement with stakeholders as well as going through a comprehensive parliamentary process.
"It has in place clear safeguards against coercion which are tried and tested in countries like Australia and New Zealand. The new law cannot come into force until protections for medical staff who wish not to take part are enshrined in law. There will also be the opportunity to add further protections this week through amendments, including ones that would require someone to be assessed as having less than six months to live in order to be eligible, an approach I will be supporting.
"MSPs must not hunt for excuses to kick the can down the road, as this issue is certainly not going away. This is the right bill at the right time. It's time to give terminally ill Scots that compassionate choice."