Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee on Liam McArthur MSP’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults(Scotland) Bill

Ally Thomson, Director of Dignity in Dying Scotland said:

“I welcome the Committee’s report and the fact that MSPs will have a free vote on permitting compassionate choice to dying people who need it most in the coming weeks. For too long the status quo – a blanket ban on assisted dying – has caused dying Scots anguish and desperation. In forcing people to travel abroad, stop eating and drinking or take matters into their own hands in it is lacking in both compassion and safety. The most dangerous thing Parliament could do here is nothing.

“I am pleased that the committee has noted from evidence provided that assisted dying can comfortably sit alongside palliative care and that where an assisted dying law based on terminal illness and mental capacity alone, such as the one proposed for Scotland, has been introduced there has never been a loosening of the eligibility criteria.

“I’ve spoken to countless terminally ill people who are desperate for the peace of mind that this Bill would bring, and to so many who have watched someone they love endure a terrible death and don’t wish anyone else to suffer in a similar way. I know that many will wish that these experiences were covered more fully in the report. The upcoming vote gives them all hope that needless suffering can be consigned to the past. As MSPs come to their own decision’s I urge them to listen to the experiences of their constituents, reflect on the evidence from countries like Australia and New Zealand and vote for more compassion, choice and safety.”

ENDS