Hopes remain that the Scottish Parliament will vote against assisted suicide, despite a vote last week in Holyrood supporting the proposals.
Pro-lifers have been buoyed by reports suggesting that a lot of previous supporters of Liam McArthur’s bill might turn against it resulting from serious concerns about safeguards.
A vote affirming the final principles of the proposed bill has already passed within the Scottish Parliament, by 70 votes to 56. Such a narrow margin implies that only seven MSPs would wish to modify votes for the proposal to fall.
According to campaign group Right to Life UK, as many as 21 MSPs are currently wavering of their support for the bill, with some who previously supported the bill being rumoured to have done so only to maintain the controversy on the difficulty going.
John Lamont, a Scottish Tory MP, told The Telegraph, “Despite the general public statements on the contrary, Tuesday’s vote [on the general principles of the bill] will feel like a setback for those in favour of assisted suicide north and south of the Border. There is all to play for and each reason to imagine this dangerous bill should be prevented from becoming law.
“It was made clear through the debate and public statements beforehand that many MSPs have given this bill only qualified support and voted for it in order that the controversy can proceed. Only a tiny variety of MSPs must flip to make sure it’s defeated later within the Parliamentary process.”
There are currently two separate pieces of laws on the table that may legalise assisted suicide in Britain.
The Scottish Parliament is taking a look at the bill proposed by McArthur, a Liberal Democrat MSP, while in Westminster a bill covering England and Wales has been proposed by Labour’s Kim Leadbeater.
Both bills have been criticised for his or her lack of safeguards, with McArthur admitting that a plan to permit terminally in poor health 16 yr olds to go for suicide needs to be amended to those no less than 18 and over.
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