MSP behind proposals to legalise assisted dying is ‘confident’ Holyrood bill will pass
THE MSP behind new assisted dying proposals is confident Holyrood will support them.
Liam McArthur said conversations he has had with colleagues across parties have convinced him there has been a change in the “political mood” since previous bills were defeated.
Mr McArthur plans to bring his bill into Parliament early next year with the legislation proposing to introduce the right to an assisted death for terminally ill, mentally-competent adults.
There would be a requirement that the person seeking assistance must be 16 years of age or over, which is the age of majority in Scotland, and have been a resident of Scotland for at least 12 months.
He said his proposals included tighter restrictions on eligibility and more safeguards than previous members’ bills by the Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie in 2015 and the late independent MSP Margo MacDonald.
Public support
THE LibDem MSP for Orkney, who is also one of Holyrood’s deputy presiding officers, added assisted dying laws have been introduced in Australia and New Zealand. “The public mood has been there for some time ... and now the political mood has caught up,” he told The Herald on Sunday.
“I am confident there is broad political support for a change in the law. I am confident that more and more colleagues have come to the conclusion that what is in place at the moment over the choice of end of life is insufficient.
“I also understand that among those who are supportive and those less so – or who are opposed – there is an understanding or desire to be reassured about how this can be introduced in a Scottish context safely and successfully.
“I am confident concerns can be addressed in part because of what we see internationally. Australia and New Zealand are the obvious examples. The legislation introduced in a number of states in Australia more closely reflect the proposals I put out to consultation last year and are likely to form the basis of the bill.”
Mr McArthur drew attention to several high-profile interventions from senior politicians who now support legalising assisted dying who were previously opposed.
They include the former Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and Michael Forsyth, who was Scottish Secretary under
John Major. In an interview in
October, Lord Forsyth told of changing his mind after witnessing the death of his father John from bladder cancer and who was in considerable pain.
‘Cowardice’
MS Davidson spoke out about her change of mind in October last year when she delivered her maiden speech to the Lords, saying that her vote against Mr Harvie’s assisted dying bill in Holyrood in 2015 felt like “cowardice” and had “nagged at her conscience” ever since. Earlier this month, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon – who also opposed the bill in Holyrood in 2015 – declared she is “more open” to legalising assisted dying after being moved by the plight of terminally-ill Scots.
Mr McArthur and Holyrood staff involved in supporting MSPs bringing in private members’ bills are currently analysing the responses received to his consultation on his proposals and will then publish a report on those responses.
He had expected the bill to be formally tabled in Holyrood later this year, but the unprecedented high volume of responses has delayed the timetable and it is now hoped it will be introduced early next year. His proposed safeguards will include:
• Two doctors independently confirm the person is terminally ill.
• Two doctors establish the person has the mental capacity to request an assisted death.
• Two doctors assess that the person is making an informed decision without pressure or coercion.
• A suggested waiting period of 14 days allows the person time to reflect on their decision. This timeframe is shorter if the person is expected to die within 30 days.
• The life-ending medication is stored at a pharmacy and is delivered to the person by a registered healthcare practitioner
• The person must administer the life-ending medication themselves.
Mr McArthur said recent figures from the Office for National Statistics has revealed that people with terminal illnesses are two-and-a-half times more likely to end their own lives than the population in general.
“They [take their own lives without the knowledge of family members, not wanting to draw them into being complicit in an illegal act and it’s often done in ways which are deeply traumatic,” he said. “I think those figures demonstrate why we should allow choice at the end of life. It is the next liberal reform and it will be one of those reforms that once introduced we will wonder why it took us so long to get to this point.”
Dignitas cost
JOANNE Easton, 40, from Wishaw, is among those hoping Mr McArthur’s bill will be passed. Her father Robert, a former firefighter, died of pancreatic cancer last year at the age of 69. Robert had discussed Dignitas with Joanne, but it was not an option because of the cost, plus he didn’t want to put his family at risk of prosecution, or make the journey itself.
Later on he asked Joanne’s boyfriend to research methods of suicide for him. Joanne started doing her own research on the dark web for her dad and found some methods.
When she told her dad about this he didn’t take the conversation further –because he didn’t want his family to go through any more trauma or be at risk of prosecution for assisting him. Robert died in a hospice. “If this bill doesn’t get through, this isn’t the Scotland I want to live in. I see Scotland as progressive, open, kind and compassionate. If it doesn’t go through I will devastated,” she said.
If this bill doesn’t get through, this isn’t the Scotland I want to live in. I see Scotland as progressive, open, kind and compassionate