Scottish voters are being urged to contact their MSPs ahead of a Stage One vote in Holyrood next week.
Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill proposes legalising assisted suicide north of the border, but campaigners are warning that the plans put vulnerable people in danger.
“Legalising assisted suicide would have tragic consequences for lots of essentially the most vulnerable people in our communities,” said Right to Life UK spokesperson Catherine Robinson.
“Particularly within the context of insufficient access to excellent end-of-life look after all Scots, it could be disastrous to prioritise legalising assisted suicide. Liam McArthur’s Bill is a disaster waiting to occur.”
The bill is analogous to draft laws being considered in England but is wider in scope. While Kim Leadbeater’s Westminster bill limits assisted suicide to individuals with 12 months to live, the Scottish bill doesn’t give a deadline for prognosis.
It also defines adults with a terminal illness more loosely as having an “advanced and progressive disease, illness or condition from which they’re unable to recuperate and that may reasonably be expected to cause their premature death”.
It is feared that if assisted suicide is legalised, vulnerable groups like disabled and elderly people will feel pressured to finish their very own lives. This is backed up by a study within the US state of Oregon, where assisted suicide is legal, which found that almost half (46.6%) of people that opted for it cited fears of being a burden as a consider their decision.
Other concerns revolve around claims of a peaceful death as evidence from jurisdictions where it’s already legal describe some experiences as painful and prolonged with incidents of vomiting and seizures also recorded.
Right To Life UK has launched the Support Not Suicide Scotland campaign to oppose the Bill and mobilise public motion, appealing to Scots to jot down to their MSPs about their concerns.
“It is totally vital that each one MSPs understand the strength of feeling and depth of concern that folks have about this Bill,” said Ms Robinson.
“MSPs should be made aware that there are large numbers of voters who are not looking for to see this extreme and unwarranted change to the law in Scotland.
“If you are from Scotland, you possibly can play a key role and make a big difference today by contacting your MSPs to ask them to vote against this Bill.
“A vote against the Bill gives the Scottish Parliament the chance to have the actual debate that is required, which concerns how best to look after people in Scotland as they near the tip of their lives. People in Scotland need support, not suicide.”
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