Dennis Canavan hits out at Assisted Dying Bill

Dennis Canavan has spoken about the death of his children as he highlighted his opposition to assisted suicide.

The former parliamentarian has suffered the loss of four of his children, including three sons who died as the result of terminal illness.

He said: "My sons undoubtedly experienced some pain but it was minimised by dedicated health professionals in the NHS and our local hospice.

"My sons died in dignity and I disagree with supporters of the Bill who claim that the suicide option is necessary to ensure dignity in death.

"We ought instead to be concentrating on ways to try to alleviate pain and suffering for people who are terminally ill.”

Dennis was speaking at an event titled Assisted Suicide in Scotland – the Beginning of a Dangerous Spiral at Our Lady & St Ninian’s parish, Bannockburn, on Wednesday night.

He has a long association with Strathcarron Hospice in Denny and campaigns for more investment in palliative care to minimise the suffering of terminally ill patients.

Dennis said that, if the Bill were to become law, many vulnerable people would come under pressure to choose the suicide option because they would not want to be a burden on their loved ones. The so called "safeguards" in the Bill would not give adequate protection from such pressure or coercion.

The meeting also heard from Dr Richard Lenton (below), a retired geriatrician, who worked for three decades as a consultant for NHS Forth Valley.

He said: "In geriatrics you get to know your patients, they trust you. If assisted suicide was available that trust would be not just diminished but non-existent."

Like Dennis, Richard also had close links to the palliative care service at Strathcarron Hospice.

He told the meeting that he believes that palliative care should be researched and strengthened and that in countries where assisted suicide was legalised, hospice's funding has been withdrawn, forcing them to close.

Using examples from Canada, Richard explained how so-called “strict safeguards” are of no value, and that assisted suicide laws are invariably interpreted in an expansive way.

MSPs are still making their minds up and want to hear what constituents think.  You have one directly elected MSP and several, regional, MSPs and you should write to them all.  Find your MSPs on the Scottish Parliament website:  https://www.parliament.scot/msps/current-and-previous-msps

Images: @Crusader_Tobias  

 

 

 

WATCH: Assisted dying in Canada - a warning to Scotland

The dangers of assisted suicide were highlighted last night (13 June) by Ramona Coelho, a doctor based in Canada which has Medical Assistance in Dying.

She shares harrowing accounts of how the most vulnerable people in society, including the disabled, the elderly and those with mental health issues - are particularly at risk.

Watch below or on YouTube (30 min webinar with chapters).

Tell MSPs to oppose Assisted Suicide for Scotland. You can submit your views to The Scottish Parliament here. Submissions should be made by Friday 16 August. 

Workshop: Called to Care, Not to Kill

The Assisted Dying Bill could be law in Scotland soon.

The bill’s proposer, Liam McArthur MSP, claims he has sufficient MSPs to vote for it.

Following the Bishops of Scotland recent Pastoral Letter, can you help your parish by contributing to a short life campaign network?

All you need is a genuine concern about the issue and willingness to work with others, involvement in previous church activity is not essential.

By the end of this workshop you'll be able to engage with, and inform others, in plain language, about key concerns arising from Liam McArthur’s bill.

The workshop will provide you with information and materials to support conversations around these key concerns.

This initiative will be supported by the Campaign Against Assisted Dying group (CAAD), who have experience in such development work, in conjunction with the Archdiocesan Pro-Life Office.

CAAD will provide materials to support engagement and information sharing.

In addition to planning and publicity material, they also provide ongoing advice and support.

WATCH: Euthanasia - A Warning from Canada

Alex Schadenberg spoke at a specially arranged Webinar on Wednesday (13 March) about the dangers of legalising assisted suicide.

Watch it below or on YouTube.

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Alex is one of the world’s premier opponents of euthanasia and assisted suicide and is visiting Scotland to highlight the dangers of Euthanasia.

With Liam McArthur MSP planning to publish his proposed Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill imminently, Alex warned of the dangers of Scotland following the example of Canada in legalising assisted suicide and euthanasia.

About the Speaker
Alex Schadenberg is one of the world’s premier opponents of euthanasia and assisted suicide. He is the co-founder and executive director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, founded in 1998 and based in the Canadian Province of Ontario. He produced The Euthanasia Deception, a documentary exploring 15 years of euthanasia legalisation in Belgium. He has spoken on the subject across the world and in more than 25 US States. Alex organized the first conference on euthanasia at the European parliament in November 2022.