Alex Schadenberg is a Catholic from Canada and a world expert on the dangers of euthanasia.
He is coming to Scotland in October to explain why mistakes in Canada could easily happen in here.
In Canada, as with all euthanasia laws, they started with “strict safeguards” which were then widened so that a Canadian veteran was offered euthanasia when what she really wanted was a wheelchair lift. And funding has been cut for hospices who refuse to take part in euthanasia.
This could happen in Scotland if the "Assisted Dying" Bill is passed in the Scottish Parliament.
Alex will tell you what went wrong in Canada, and how to stop it in Scotland.
By the end of the talk you’ll have lots of info to put to your MSPs and others to explain why “assisted dying” proposals are so dangerous to the most vulnerable people in Scotland.
The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland has submitted evidence to the Scottish Parliament on a proposal to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland.
Responding to the call for views on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, the bishops said that “assisted suicide attacks human dignity and results in human life being increasingly valued on the basis of its efficiency and utility”.
They added that implicit in legal assisted suicide is the idea that “an individual can lose their value and worth”.
Assisted Suicide: Bishops' Conference of Scotland submits evidence to committee. Bishops say that the state "ought to support the provision of care, not deliberate killing, for those at the end of life." https://t.co/Bvh0RFYj2Rpic.twitter.com/sQEotAUTmC
The bishops express grave concerns about the serious consequences of legal assisted suicide for the most vulnerable in society.
They wrote: “When the elderly and disabled express concerns about being a burden, the appropriate response is not to suggest that they have a duty to die; rather, it is to commit to meeting their needs and providing the care and compassion to help them live.
Assisted suicide undermines suicide prevention, the provision of palliative care, trust in doctors and puts pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives prematurely.
"If Scotland establishes the provision of death on demand and this becomes normal practice, how will that not become a cultural expectation for the vulnerable, including the elderly, disabled, and lonely?”
Embracing the sick
The bishops also quoted Samaritanus bonus, a letter by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the care of persons in the critical and terminal phases of life, saying that proponents of assisted suicide peddled a “false understanding of compassion”, adding that a correct understanding of compassion “consists not in causing death, but in embracing the sick, in supporting them in their difficulties, in offering them affection, attention, and the means to alleviate their suffering.”
Scottish Bishops highlight ‘chilling’ economic incentives of assisted suicide
The submission touched on the experience of other countries and states where assisted suicide and/or euthanasia is legal, including Canada, the Netherlands, and Oregon, with the bishops issuing a warning that, “No matter how well intentioned safeguards are, it is impossible for any government to draft assisted suicide laws which include legal protection from future expansion of those laws.”
The bishops said that it was “significant” that the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Association of Palliative Medicine in the UK are both opposed to assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Criticism
The Bill, introduced by Liam McArthur MSP, has attracted widespread criticism from experts for adopting an extremely broad definition of terminal illness which, in practice, is expected to include diabetes, dementia, and anorexia.
In conclusion, the bishops said that “assisted suicide undermines suicide prevention, the provision of palliative care, trust in doctors and puts pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives prematurely.”
The bishops added: “The poor and vulnerable are already struggling to live.
"Parliamentarians in Scotland ought to offer them care and support to live, not a concoction of drugs to die.
"Killing is not the solution to ill-health, poverty or any other social challenges.
"The state ought to support the provision of care, not deliberate killing, for those at the end of life.”
The submission was made to the Scottish Parliament's Health, Social Care and Sport Committee Committee. It will now consider all responses and take oral evidence from key experts and stakeholders in the coming months before publishing a report for MSPs.
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.
Conference: The Future of Care in Scotland
The conference will discuss the implications of changing the law in Scotland to permit assisted dying.
It will take place in The Renfield Centre, opposite The Kings Theatre, 260 Bath Street, Glasgow, G2 4JP.
Tickets are free. Book on Eventbrite or call 07388 347 910.
Speakers Dr Gillian Wright. Former palliative care doctor in Glasgow who now works as a researcher in medical ethics for the Scottish Council for Human Bioethics. Gillian also works for Care not Killing as the Director of their campaign Our Duty of Care which brings together health care professionals opposed to the introduction of assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Dr Gordon MacDonald. CEO care not killing. He has been extensively involved over the years on opposing Assisted Dying when it has come before Parliament on previous occasions.
Dennis Canavan. Member of Parliament for West Stirlingshire (1974-83) then Falkirk West (1983-2000 then Member of the Scottish Parliament for Falkirk West (1999 - 2007). “My children died in dignity and I beg to differ from those who assert that the option of assisted suicide is necessary to ensure dignity in death.”
Marianne Scobie. Deputy CEO Disability Alliance Marianne has been a disabled person since early childhood. Marianne was a founder member of GDA before joining the team in 2010 and is now Depute CEO. Marianne serves on a range of Glasgow City Council, Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland advisory groups.
Conference: The Future of Care in Scotland is an event organised by the Campaign Against Assisted Dying.
Catholics urged to reject ‘dangerous’ assisted suicide
The bishops of Scotland say Catholics must urge their MSPs to reject the recently published assisted suicide proposals.
They make the call in a pastoral letter that will be read out in all of Scotland’s 460 Catholic parishes, at all Masses on 27 & 28 April.
The bishops describe the proposal put forward by Liam McArthur MSP, as “dangerous".
They call on MSPs to focus their energies on improving palliative care which the bishops say is “underfunded and limited”.
When vulnerable people express concerns about being a burden, the appropriate response is not to suggest that they have a duty to die.
The letter states, that a law which “allows us to kill our brothers and sisters takes us down a dangerous spiral that always puts at risk the most vulnerable members of our society, including the elderly, and disabled, and those who struggle with mental health”.
The letter cites evidence from other jurisdictions where assisted suicide is legal, including Oregon, where consistently around half of people who choose assisted suicide do so because they feel they are a burden on their families or on their communities and healthcare system.
The terrifying and deadly reality of assisted suicide is laid bare in Canada and other countries where it is already legal. People with diabetes, autism, and the disabled now routinely euthanised. It is little wonder support for assisted suicide in Scotland is ebbing away. https://t.co/oGVIikadNO
“When vulnerable people, including the elderly and disabled, express concerns about being a burden”, say the bishops, “the appropriate response is not to suggest that they have a duty to die; rather, it is to commit to meeting their needs and providing the care and compassion they need to help them live”.
The bishops point out: “When our society is already marked by so many inequalities, we do not need assisted suicide to put intolerable pressure on our most disadvantaged who do not have a voice in this debate.”
The Catholic Church has responded to the publication of “The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill” by Liam McArthur MSP (above right).
Bishop John Keenan, the Bishop of Paisley (above left) has described it as “a dangerous idea that a citizen can lose their value and worth.”
His full statement is below.
“Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur has today published a damaging bill which attacks human dignity and introduces a dangerous idea that a citizen can lose their value and worth.
The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill may refer to ‘assisted dying’, but this is a euphemistic term which doesn’t accurately describe the reality.
Assisted dying is already practised by our health professionals and organisations, in the form of palliative care.
An accurate term for what the Bill seeks to legalise is assisted suicide.
It is a law which will allow a doctor to provide a patient with a lethal cocktail of drugs to kill themselves.
Implicit in assisted suicide is that the value of human life is measured by efficiency and utility and not by dignity.
In crude terms, it means an individual can lose their value to society because of illness or disability.
We are called to care for those who suffer, including those at the end of life.
In this way, the appropriate response of civic society to suffering is not to facilitate death by prescription, but rather, to provide good, reliable care, including palliative care, for all those who need it.
Assisted suicide sends a message that there are situations when suicide is an appropriate response to one’s individual circumstances, worries, anxieties.
It normalises suicide and accepts that some people are beyond hope.
Furthermore, assisted suicide undermines trust in doctors and damages the doctor- patient relationship. And in countries where assisted suicide is legal, there is evidence that vulnerable people, including the elderly and disabled, experience external pressure to end their lives.
In Oregon, where assisted suicide is legal, it is common for around half of people to list fear of being a burden as one reason for hastening their death.
It is little wonder that most major disability organisations in the UK are opposed to assisted suicide.
Assisted suicide is also uncontrollable.
‘While assisted dying would nominally remain voluntary, people’s wills could be conditioned to seek it, feeling an expectation to “do the right thing”… get on and unburden society. Creepingly, it could cease to be an option and become a moral imperative.’https://t.co/htt2slXWq5
— Care Not Killing Scotland (@CNKScotland) March 26, 2024
Every country where assisted suicide or euthanasia is legal has seen so-called ‘safeguards’ eroded and eligibility criteria expanded to include people with arthritis, anorexia, autism, dementia.
And also, children.
When vulnerable people, including the elderly, poor and disabled, express concerns about being a burden, the appropriate response is not to suggest that they have a duty to die; rather, it is to commit to meeting their needs and providing the care and compassion they need to help them live.
This Bill has been introduced in Holy Week, when Christians reflect on the suffering, death and Resurrection of Jesus, the man who is their Lord and God and showed us what it means to be truly human.
Where Liam McArthur’s Bill sees little point in human suffering and promotes the idea that a person’s life can become so hopeless as to be no longer worthwhile, this week is a timely reminder that when we support each other in suffering it can lead to a truly dignified death and offer the best of hope and possibility for our world.”
Bishop John Keenan is vice president of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland and Bishop President for Marriage, Families and Life.
Lobby your MSP against assisted suicide
The Catholic Parliamentary Office has called on parishioners across Scotland to lobby MSPs against dangerous proposals to legalise assisted suicide.
A briefing, which has been sent to every Catholic parish in the country, asks parishioners to contact local MSPs, either as individuals or as part of an organised parish group.
Anthony Horan, Director of the Catholic Parliamentary Office, said: “The Catholic community in Scotland was key to stopping assisted suicide in 2010 and 2015.
"We need them to step up once again.
"Please help us to stop death by prescription in Scotland and to call for better palliative care instead. We should be caring for people, not killing them.”
Among the dangers outlined in the briefing:
Assisted suicide undermines efforts to provide good palliative care by providing a quick, cheap alternative.
It undermines efforts to prevent suicide by suggesting that sometimes suicide is an appropriate response to an individual’s circumstances, worries and anxieties.
It pressurises vulnerable people, including the elderly and disabled, to end their lives prematurely through fear of being a burden on family, caregivers and the state.
The church also points out that assisted suicide is uncontrollable.
Alan Nichols was admitted to hospital in Canada because of fears he might be suicidal. Within a month he had submitted a request to be euthanised and he was killed.
His application for euthanasia listed only one health condition as the reason for his wish to die: hearing loss. pic.twitter.com/N3hOVnUEbW
In every country where assisted suicide and/or euthanasia is legal, safeguards have been eroded and eligibility criteria expanded to now include people with arthritis, anorexia, autism and dementia. It has also been extended to include children.
Liam McArthur MSP is expected to publish a Bill later this year proposing the legalisation of assisted suicide.
Catholic parishioners and others are urged to visit the websiteScottish Catholic Parliamentary Office website for guidance on contacting MSPs.
Webinar on the dangers of Assisted Suicide
A webinar titled 'Assisted Suicide: The Dangers' will consider the outcome of the potential legalising of assisted suicide in Scotland, and what you can do to help prevent it.
It takes place this Thursday (31 August) at 7:00pm and you can register here.
Liam McArthur MSP is expected to publish proposals to legalise assisted suicide later this year
This webinar will consider what those proposals will look like and, breaking them down, explain why assisted suicide is a very bad idea.
It aims to equip you with the key arguments against assisted suicide and provide you with advice on how to share your concerns most effectively with MSPs.
Speakers
Dr Gillian Wrightis a former palliative care doctor in Glasgow who now works as a researcher in medical ethics for the Scottish Council for Human Bioethics. Gillian also works for Care not Killing as the Director of their campaign Our Duty of Care which brings together health care professionals opposed to the introduction of assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Brian Cairnsis a retired teacher with trade union experience. Brian has previous involvement with local community political campaigning and, along with members of St Margaret’s Church Clydebank and the wider community, has established a campaign group to oppose proposals to legalise assisted suicide.
Anthony Horan is Director of the Catholic Parliamentary Office of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland. Anthony, a qualified lawyer, has significant experience in political engagement on a wide range of issues, including assisted suicide. Anthony is also a member of the Care Not Killing steering group.
For further details and to register, please click here. Webinar organised by the Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office.
Assisted Suicide: The Dangers
Later this year Liam McArthur MSP is expected to publish proposals to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland.
Join us for this webinar to consider what those proposals will look like and, breaking them down, explain why assisted suicide is a very bad idea.
We aim to equip you with the key arguments against assisted suicide and provide you with advice on how to share your concerns most effectively with MSPs.
Online, Thursday 31 August at 7:00pm. Registerhere.
Speakers
Dr Gillian Wright is a former palliative care doctor in Glasgow who now works as a researcher in medical ethics for the Scottish Council for Human Bioethics. Gillian also works for Care not Killing as the Director of their campaign Our Duty of Care which brings together health care professionals opposed to the introduction of assisted suicide and euthanasia.
Brian Cairns is a retired teacher with trade union experience. Brian has previous involvement with local community political campaigning and, along with members of St Margaret’s Church Clydebank and the wider community, has established a campaign group to oppose proposals to legalise assisted suicide.
Anthony Horan is Director of the Catholic Parliamentary Office of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland. Anthony, a qualified lawyer, has significant experience in political engagement on a wide range of issues, including assisted suicide. Anthony is also a member of the Care Not Killing steering group.
Event organised by the Catholic Parliamentary Office for Scotland.