Assisted Suicide Bill

Campaigners are calling on the Scottish Government to produce a balanced report on assisted suicide.

The issue is being debated by the Health and Sport Committee.

Campaign groups are concerned that, by not discussing both sides of the argument, talks could end prematurely.

My Life, My Death, My Choice, the independent campaign established to support the proposed Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill, have urged the Committee to produce a balanced Stage 1 report, presenting both sides of the argument on the principle of the legislation. 

According to a poll, 49%, of Scots felt MSPs will have spent too short a time debating the issues around assisted suicide and end of life care were the proposed Bill not to pass Stage 1, with just 5% feeling this was amount of time was too long.
  
Bob Scott, spokesperson for My Life, My Death, My Choice:  “It is important that the Scottish Parliament allow the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill to progress through Stage 1 to allow a detailed debate of each section of the Bill in turn, as well as the consideration of possible amendments to improve it.  This would ensure that issues around assisted suicide, as well as the broader context of end of life care, can be fully debated by MSPs.”
 
“As well as 78% of Scottish voters feeling it is important that this Bill becomes law, almost half of Scots feel that MSPs would not be spending enough time debating these important issues were the Bill not to pass Stage 1 of the Parliamentary process.”
 
“What has to be remembered is that the Stage 1 vote will be on the principle of the proposed legislation, not the detail.  Like all legislation considered by the Scottish Parliament, there are areas where the proposals could be improved and safeguards tightened but Patrick Harvie, the MSP in Charge of the Bill has already indicated that he would be open to reasonable amendments at Stage 2.  If MSPs are not satisfied that sufficient safeguards have been added, they would clearly be able to reject the Bill at Stage 3 but it is vital that the process is allowed to run its course.”