A raft of amendments that would have strengthened safeguards in proposed assisted dying legislation have been rejected.
Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill  is being subjected to further scrutiny in Parliament, including proposed amendments by MSPs.
The latest session, held on Tuesday, followed last week’s debate where MSPs rejected measures to narrow the definition of terminal illness to those with six months or less to live and to exclude individuals seeking assisted suicide due to intellectual disabilities or eating disorders.
Liam McArthur’s amendment, obliging doctors who oppose assisted suicide to refer patients to a willing practitioner or provide information on the process—effectively mandating limited participation, was approved by the committee.
During the debate, Sue Webber highlighted evidence from other jurisdictions showing that assisted suicide drugs are not always painless, citing cases of vomiting, choking, fluid in the lungs, and failed deaths. “Even when we’re legislating for death, Parliament still bears responsibility for life,” she said.
Anthony Horan, of the Catholic Parliamentary Office, said: “Instead of beefing up this Bill with safeguards and tightening key provisions, the committee appears to be doing everything in its power to make the Bill unsafe and a significant risk to vulnerable people.
“Liam McArthur’s insistence that there should be no institutional opt-out will be particularly alarming for hospices and care homes that do not wish to participate in assisted suicide.
“It could mean that, should this law pass, those hospices and care homes will lose vital funding and be forced to close.
“MSPs have a duty to protect the vulnerable and the institutions that care for them.
“With each rejected safeguard it is becoming increasingly clear that MSPs are failing in that duty.”
Contact your MSP now – it only takes a minute using the Care not Killing email tool here. This article abridged from the Catholic Parliamentary Office. Watch our webinars on this issue here. Title images via Right to Life.
