MSPs throw out new Bill to allow assisted suicide
82 reject change in law 36 in favour
PLANS to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland have been rejected again by Holyrood.
After an emotional and passionate debate, MSPs yesterday voted against the general principles of the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill for a second time.
It had proposed that those with terminal or life - shortening illnesses should be able to obtain help to end their suffering. The controversial legislation would have made Scotland the first part of the UK to legalise assisted suicide if it had been successful.
First brought before the Scottish parliament by the late i ndependent MSP Margo MacDonald before her death f r om Parkinson’s Disease last April, it has since been championed by Scottish Green co-convener Patrick Harvie.
Last night, both critics and supporters of the changes stressed that the defeat, by a smaller margin than the first vote, was unlikely to be the end of the matter. The My Life, My Death, My Choice group said it was encouraged that the number of MSPs in favour had more than doubled since the last vote in 2010.
On yesterday’s 36-82 vote, a spokesman said: ‘This shows politicians are increasingly ill at ease with the current law surrounding assisted suicide and are beginning to catch up with the views of their constituents.
‘It may be MSPs had concerns about some of the details in this Bill but the principle that a change in the law needs to be examined seriously has been established.
‘ We will keep f i ghting to convince MSPs.’
But religious groups campaigning against assisted suicide welcomed the latest decision as a ‘major victory for the vulnerable in our society’.
Gordon Macdonald, convenor of Care Not Killing, said: ‘The present law making assisted suicide illegal is clear and right and does not need changing.’
But he warned: ‘ While MSPs have overwhelmingly rejected this Bill to legalise assisted suicide, we are under no illusions that those who support the i dea of statesponsored killing will go away.’
Prior to yesterday’s vote, the Health Committee had already raised a number of concerns about the proposals, including a failure to define assisted suicide and the lack of clarity about the method that those wishing to end their life would use.
There were also worries about the number of people who could potentially be considered for assisted suicide and the effect it could have on the vulnerable.
Afterwards, Mr Harvie said that while the legislation ‘just wasn’t good enough’ to convince MSPs, it had increased awareness of the issue: ‘We knew that it was going to be an uphill struggle getting to a majority or even getting close.’
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy Fi rs t Minister John Swinney and Scottish Health Secretary Shona Robison were amongst those who voted against the legislation, along with Scottish Labour deputy leader Kezia Dugdale, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie.
Those who backed it included Envi ro n ment Secretary Richard Lochhead, Parliamentary Business minister Joe Fitzpatrick and the Scottish Tory deputy leader Jackson Carlaw.
‘Ill at ease with the current law’
‘A victory for the vulnerable’