Assisted Dying Bill Will Pass In Scottish Parliament, Says ‘Confident’ Humanist Society Scotland CEO
Omar Malik
16/04/24
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An assisted dying bill introduced by Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur will pass in the Scottish Parliament, assures the CEO of Humanist Society Scotland.
If the proposed bill is approved at Holyrood later this year, Scotland will become the UK's first nation to provide legally terminally ill people with the means to end their lives.
“I’m pretty confident it’ll pass with quite a strong majority - there’s a lot of support amongst MSPs for it this time from the conversations that we’ve had,” says Fraser Sutherland, the chief executive of Humanist Society Scotland.
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Published last month, the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill is set to be debated at Holyrood this autumn, which means that assisted dying could become legal in 2025.
The bill requires patients to be aged 16 or over, only including those whose terminal illness is debilitating and advanced. Medical professions must determine that no coercion occurred to influence the decision before administering the lethal medicine.
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Supporters of the proposal say it would lessen the intensity of end of life suffering. But those who oppose the bill fear that some terminally ill people may feel pressured to end their lives.
“We’re very supportive of people having control at the end of their life and over what happens in those last few weeks and months of their life - we don’t see an inherent value in suffering at the end of life,” Sutherland told Blether.
“There’s no moral difference between withdrawing foods and fluids until starvation - a legitimate course of action for terminally ill people - and hastening their death by taking a lethal substance - which is done in a controlled way; limited in who can access it,” Sutherland continued.
Currently, assisting someone in taking their own life can result in prosecutions for offences such as culpable homicide and murder.
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The bill follows two previous attempts, in 2010 and 2015, at legalising assisted dying in Scotland; both of which were rejected by MSPs.
But national and parliamentary views on assisted dying have dramatically shifted in recent years, says Sutherland: “The public are overwhelmingly supportive - roughly three-quarters of the population - which gives a different perspective for parliamentarians now that the vast majority of their constituents feel a particular way on this.”
“Before, many people were on the fence on the issue; whereas now we actually have a significant majority who both understand and support assisted dying. There’s been a turnover obviously since the last time this was considered - and it’s now effectively a different generation of MSPs,” Sutherland continued.
Sutherland also points to the bill's limited scope potentially attracting more extensive MSP support: “This bill applies only to terminally ill people; it doesn’t apply to people who have long-term conditions that previous proposals recognised. That might answer some of the concerns among parliamentarians.”
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With Humanist Society Scotland strongly advocating for bodily autonomy, Blether asked Sutherland how he perceives the restrictiveness of the bill: “Legislation can only pass if parliamentarians are confident in it, and evidently Holyrood would not be supportive of a piece of legislation that went further in scope. To ensure parliamentary support, it’s wise that this is the bill which has been taken forward.”
Scotland’s main party leaders, including Humza Yousaf, Anas Sarwar and Douglas Ross, are among those who openly oppose the bill. On the potential impact of this opposition, Sutherland said: “This is a conscience vote, and in speaking to MSPs, they’re approaching this issue quite differently. There might be influence by individuals who are seen as influential or respectable among political groups - and they might have some weight on how others vote.”
“The party leaders are driven by moralistic views about the sanctity of life. This shouldn’t, however, impact others’ decisions. I’d encourage MSPs to consider the evidence from where assisted dying works elsewhere - such as in Oregon - and to listen to their constituents; speak to people who are terminally ill and hear their voice,” Sutherland told Blether.
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Blether asked Sutherland what the final bill may look like, to which he stated: “Amendments could be brought forward and debated - it may not be exactly what the proposal currently puts on the table; it will likely change slightly as the discussions proceed. What’s been put forward is very robust and has lots of safeguards - so I don’t think it needs significant amending.”
The bill, scheduled to enter initial discussions at Holyrood this autumn, is opposed by the Catholic Church in Scotland, the Church of Scotland, and the Scottish Association of Mosques.