Campaigners have urged MSPs not to back an assisted suicide law in Scotland, saying the practice can never be made “safe”.
Better Way, a campaign supported by experts in several fields, also warns that a law change would endanger marginalised Scots.
In written evidence to Holyrood’s Health Committee, the group states:
“Allowing this practice in Scotland would give rise to profound injustices. Injustices that affect disabled Scots, Scots facing poverty, Scots who are isolated and lonely, and many others. No amount of legal drafting can rule out Scottish citizens choosing to end their lives because they lack sufficient support to go on living. This, in itself, should prevent a change in the law.”
“Doctors warn that ‘assisted dying’ would undermine palliative care for all Scots. Psychiatrists warn of a harmful shift in our societal response to suicide. And sociologists caution that a change in the law may open the door to more permissive legislation in years to come. The tragic experience of other nations suggests it is a matter of when, not if, laws expand.”
Stressing diverse opposition to ‘assisted dying’, it adds: “Opposition to a change in the law is found among people with different beliefs – atheists, humanists, agnostics, and people of faith. It is motivated by both personal and professional insights. Our campaign seeks to present a range of arguments, from diverse perspectives”.
Better Way’s response, available here, cites expert testimony from a disability expert, a senior psychiatrist, and a senior palliative doctor.
The group warns of a harmful impact on:
- Suicide prevention.
- Disabled people.
- People experiencing poverty.
- Palliative medicine.
- The doctor/patient relationship.
And it points to flaws in the Scottish Bill, including:
- The inadequacy of safeguards to prevent coercion, mission creep, ‘botched’ assisted deaths, and other problems.
- A lack of provision for conscientious objection.
- A lack of detail on the manner of death proposed.
On the Bill’s eligibility criteria, it states:
“The definition of terminal illness in the Bill – an advanced, progressive condition that a patient is unable to recover from, which is expected to cause their premature death – is very broad. At present, it could catch patients suffering from anorexia, and some disabilities.
“The bill also creates confusion on whether a person with dementia is eligible. On one hand, dementia is a progressive, incurable condition that causes a person to die prematurely. This should make people with the condition eligible. On the other hand, it is intended that persons with a mental disorder should be excluded. This contradiction is not addressed.
“The requirement in Section 3 that a person should be ordinarily resident in Scotland for at least 12 months raises the spectre of ‘suicide tourism’, whereby persons with terminal illness in other parts of the UK make their home in Scotland in order to access assisted suicide. This would compound pressures on NHS Scotland and impact ethically divergent patient care in England, Wales, and NI.”
Citing testimony from three experts, the response further states:
“As a campaign, we believe that assisted suicide would be a dangerous and regressive path for our society. But we acknowledge that keeping the door closed to this practice is not enough. Our society needs to outline a better path for people with terminal illnesses, and other groups involved in this debate.”
Dr Miro Griffiths, Better Way’s spokesman, commented:
“Proponents of this legislation say it addresses unresolved issues identified in previous bills and provides suitable safeguards. We reject these claims.
“‘Assisted dying’ is inherently, and unavoidably, unsafe. There is no way to rule out abuses and mistakes, coercion, and people dying through pressures arising in society, such as their experience of loneliness, poverty and other forms of inequality.
“Supporting Liam McArthur’s legislation will open the door to irreversible, unjust deaths. There is a better path forwards for Scotland.”
ENDS
About Better Way
Better Way campaign opposes assisted suicide, sets out an alternative vision, and provides a platform for marginalised voices. The campaign is supported by experts in several fields including medicine, disability advocacy, and sociology.
Contact us: admin@betterwaycampaign.co.uk