Assisted Suicide Law Scrutiny

Assisted Suicide is set to dominate the agenda at the Scottish Parliament later.

A proposed change to the law is facing its final round of scrutiny today.

Green MSP Patrick Harvie will give evidence to the Health and Sport Committee this morning.

He promised to continue the campaign of independent MSP Margo MacDonald who died in 2014 after a battle with Parkinson's Disease.

Her bill on assisted suicide in 2010 was rejected by a vote of 85 to 16, with two abstentions.

MSPs expected to vote at a later date.

CARE for Scotland says the bill is so poorly written it should be ripped up and started from scratch.

Parliamentary Officer Dr Gordon Macdonald said:
 
“What we’ve witnessed over the last few weeks is repeated and sustained criticism of this Bill from a whole variety of sources and for a range of reasons because it is so badly drafted.
 
“We’re not talking about one or two voices, we’re talking about leading experts in medicine and palliative care, top lawyers and experienced ethicists all expressing serious and genuine concerns.
 
“The fact of the matter is that this is a poorly written, badly constructed Bill and the sheer numbers of people who have criticised whole parts of it, quite aside from any moral or ethical objections, only highlight the problems with the legislation.
 
“Noticeably even some of the witnesses who publically support a change in the law have stressed they cannot support this particular Bill.
 
“It is also impossible to ignore the strong moral arguments against allowing vulnerable people to end their own lives and CARE for Scotland maintains it is always better to care, rather than to kill.
 
“Rather than proceeding any further, we urge that the Bill simply be withdrawn.” 

Members of the My Life, My Death, My choice campaign group will demonstrate outside Holyrood this morning to show support for the bill.

Neil Anderson, a Humanist Socitey of Scotland registered celebrant and trained solicitor said:

"I am confident that the safeguards contained within this Bill are robust.

“This Bill represents a progressive move to allow those with terminal conditions, who are in unbearable pain to choose to end their lives.

“As has been made clear repeatedly throughout the process of scrutinising the Bill, the safeguards are there.

“The current law in this area is unclear, so the status quo is not an option, we need action from our MSPs.”