Christians ‘deeply sad’ as Scottish Parliament backs assisted suicide bill

Scotland has moved a step closer to legalising assisted suicide after Liam McArthur’s bill passed the stage one vote on Tuesday evening. 

The vote was on the final principles of the bill, with MSPs voting 70 in favour to 56 against, with one abstention. 

Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur, who proposed the bill, said it was a “landmark moment for Scotland”.

The bill now progresses to stage two where MSPs can propose changes before one other vote on a final draft. A raft of amendments are expected to be recommend. 

Stuart Weir, head of Christian charity, CARE for Scotland, said he was “deeply saddened” by the consequence of Tuesday’s vote and that his thoughts were with “disabled Scots and plenty of others who will likely be feeling great anxiety”.

“Assisted suicide would undermine suicide prevention in Scotland and send a harmful message that some lives aren’t value living,” he said.

“Evidence from other countries shows that ‘safeguards’ don’t work. And we all know that marginalised and vulnerable members of society suffer the worst abuses. We hope that parliament will reconsider at stage three.” 

He is looking on the Scottish Parliament to speculate in higher palliative care as a substitute. “Instead of legislating for assisted suicide, the Scottish state must be ensuring that each life is protected and specializing in improving truly life-affirming types of care,” he continued.

“Holistic palliative care can meet the physical, mental, relational, and spiritual needs of terminally in poor health Scots – but provided that it receives appropriate investment and prioritisation.”

Catherine Robinson, of Right to Life UK, remains to be hopeful that the bill will likely be defeated at a later stage. 

“Numerous MSPs made it clear that they were only voting through the bill to proceed the talk around this bill, and wouldn’t necessarily support the bill at the ultimate vote at stage three. This signifies that this bill can still be defeated,” she said. 

“We at the moment are going to redouble our efforts to make sure we fight this bill at every stage and make sure that it’s defeated to guard essentially the most vulnerable.”

Dr Gordon Macdonald, CEO of the Care Not Killing coalition, called the bill “dangerous and ideological”, and said he was encouraged by how narrow the bulk was. 

“The easy explanation is the more MSPs hear what legalising assisted dying would mean – rewriting the NHS charter, fundamentally changing the character of health care in Scotland – and the way it could put pressure on the terminally in poor health, vulnerable and disabled people to finish their lives prematurely, the less inclined they’re to back it,” he said. 

The vote was held just weeks after the Isle of Man passed assisted suicide laws, and comes as MPs in Westminster prepare to vote on similar proposals for England and Wales recommend by Kim Leadbeater. 

Dr Macdonald raised fears concerning the widening of laws in places where assisted suicide is already legal as a sign of what Scotland can expect if it follows the identical path.

“The McArthur Bill, similar to the Leadbeater south of the border is modelled on the US state of Oregon, where a majority of those ending their lives consistently cite fear of being a burden on their families, carers or funds as a reason,” he said. 

“Here we now have also seen how a law sold to the general public as being for terminally in poor health mentally competent adults has been expanded to incorporate those eating disorders reminiscent of anorexia and even insulin dependent diabetes.” 

What the Scottish Parliament should really be debating is the funding crisis within the palliative care system, he argued. 

“As in the remainder of the UK, Scotland’s palliative care system is massively under resourced and stretched to breaking point. Yet we usually are not debating learn how to fix it,” he said.

“The scandal here is there are more elected politicians in Holyrood than palliative care doctors in Scotland and one in 4 individuals who would profit from the sort of care aren’t receiving it.

“This is what we should always be talking about and finding how we are able to ensure whether you reside in Peebles, Glasgow, Fort William or Findochty you might have access to the highest care. In short, we’d like more care not killing.”