Politicians pass first stage of assisted dying bill in day of high emotion
Politicians in Scotland have voted to support a Bill that, if passed, will allow terminally ill people the medical assistance to end their lives.
Following a day of high emotion, MSPs voted 70 to 56 to approve the general principles of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.
The legislation, which was brought forward by Scottish Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur, will now progress to stage two, where MSPs could propose changes.
The vote marked the third time in Scottish parliamentary history that MSPs have voted on plans to legalise assisted dying.
The landmark day at Holyrood comes after MPs voted in favour of similar proposals for England and Wales.
The proposed legislation would allow a patient with a terminal illness to request medical assistance to end their life if they have been ruled mentally fit to make the decision by two doctors.
Mr McArthur recently said the minimum age of people who could seek an assisted death would rise from 16 to 18.
Supporters have described the Bill as a progressive move to ease the suffering of dying Scots.
However, those who oppose it fear it would not safeguard some of the most vulnerable people in society.
During the vote MSPs took the floor to make emotive arguments as they looked to bring others around to their view on the highly divisive issue.
Scottish Tory MSP Stephen Kerr called on his fellow polticians to 'build a country where no-one feels their only option is death'.
He added: 'Once the line is crossed, we cannot go back.
'This isn't compassion, it's a risk too great, too permanent, too dangerous, so I say to my colleagues, don't risk it.'
Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy, who had joined campaigners opposed to the Bill outside parliament prior to the vote, also urged MSPs to vote it down.
Fighting back tears, the politician, who is herself disabled, said: 'Rather than legislating to assist to die, let us resolve to legislate to assist people to live.'
Earlier in her speech during the debate, the disability rights campaigner had said that in moments where some are 'ground down', they 'wouldn't only believe we were better off dead, but the state could help to make that happen'.
She added: 'Today I've only scratched the surface of concerns, but for me it comes down to this: How can it be possible for people to make a free and equal choice to allow a system that oppresses them so much to also potentially assist them to take their own lives?'
Tory MSP Jeremy Balfour, who is also disabled, said he could imagine feeling like a 'burden' to his family and society if he is diagnosed with a terminal illness in later life.
He said: 'I could imagine in a few years' time, hopefully a number of years' time, having some terminal illness and feeling the burden that could be put on my wife and my children because of the care they give me day in, day out.
'I have spoken to other disabled people who have felt and feel the same.'
In such a situation, if proposals to allow assisted dying are passed, Mr Balfour said some could seek to ease the pressure felt by their families by ending their lives.
However, there were also many who spoke up in support of the Bill as they shared their own personal experiences.
SNP MSP Elena Whitham revealed that her mother Irene McLeod opted to starve herself to 'hasten her inevitable death' at the age of 58 after being diagnosed with terminal stage four lung cancer in February 2014.
However, an emotional Ms Witham said it still took two weeks for her mother to die after making the decision.
She said: 'Her mind was made up in her usual headstrong manner, and she had the agreement of her medical team she could choose to die this way. It is the only way the medical establishment allows a death when you are terminal.'
She added: 'No-one should be forced to starve themselves, travel overseas or use other traumatic methods to end their lives when dealing with a terminal diagnosis.'
And she said that without change 'people will continue to make choices like my mum'.
FOR
Adam, George (Paisley) (SNP)
Adam, Karen (Banffshire and Buchan Coast) (SNP)
Arthur, Tom (Renfrewshire South) (SNP)
Beattie, Colin (Midlothian North and Musselburgh) (SNP)
Briggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con)
Brown, Siobhian (Ayr) (SNP)
Burgess, Ariane (Highlands and Islands) (Green)
Burnett, Alexander (Aberdeenshire West) (Con)
Callaghan, Stephanie (Uddingston and Bellshill) (SNP)
Carlaw, Jackson (Eastwood) (Con)
Chapman, Maggie (North East Scotland) (Green)
Clark, Katy (West Scotland) (Lab)
Coffey, Willie (Kilmarnock and Irvine Valley) (SNP)
Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Edinburgh Western) (LD)
Dey, Graeme (Angus South) (SNP)
Don-Innes, Natalie (Renfrewshire North and West) (SNP)
Dornan, James (Glasgow Cathcart) (SNP)
Dowey, Sharon (South Scotland) (Con)
Dunbar, Jackie (Aberdeen Donside) (SNP)
Fairlie, Jim (Perthshire South and Kinross-shire) (SNP)
Findlay, Russell (West Scotland) (Con)
FitzPatrick, Joe (Dundee City West) (SNP)
Gibson, Kenneth (Cunninghame North) (SNP)
Gilruth, Jenny (Mid Fife and Glenrothes) (SNP)
Grahame, Christine (Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale) (SNP)
Greene, Jamie (West Scotland) (LD)
Greer, Ross (West Scotland) (Green)
Gulhane, Sandesh (Glasgow) (Con)
Hamilton, Rachael (Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con)
Harper, Emma (South Scotland) (SNP)
Harvie, Patrick (Glasgow) (Green)
Hepburn, Jamie (Cumbernauld and Kilsyth) (SNP)
Hyslop, Fiona (Linlithgow) (SNP)
Johnson, Daniel (Edinburgh Southern) (Lab)
Kerr, Liam (North East Scotland) (Con)
Kidd, Bill (Glasgow Anniesland) (SNP)
Lennon, Monica (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Lochhead, Richard (Moray) (SNP)
Lumsden, Douglas (North East Scotland) (Con)
MacDonald, Gordon (Edinburgh Pentlands) (SNP)
Mackay, Gillian (Central Scotland) (Green)
Mackay, Rona (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (SNP)
Macpherson, Ben (Edinburgh Northern and Leith) (SNP)
Martin, Gillian (Aberdeenshire East) (SNP)
McAllan, Màiri (Clydesdale) (SNP)
McArthur, Liam (Orkney Islands) (LD)
McKee, Ivan (Glasgow Provan) (SNP)
McLennan, Paul (East Lothian) (SNP)
Minto, Jenni (Argyll and Bute) (SNP)
Mochan, Carol (South Scotland) (Lab)
Nicoll, Audrey (Aberdeen South and North Kincardine) (SNP)
Rennie, Willie (North East Fife) (LD)
Robertson, Angus (Edinburgh Central) (SNP)
Robison, Shona (Dundee City East) (SNP)
Ruskell, Mark (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green)
Slater, Lorna (Lothian) (Green)
Smyth, Colin (South Scotland) (Lab)
Somerville, Shirley-Anne (Dunfermline) (SNP)
Stevenson, Collette (East Kilbride) (SNP)
Stewart, Alexander (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Stewart, Kaukab (Glasgow Kelvin) (SNP)
Stewart, Kevin (Aberdeen Central) (SNP)
Sweeney, Paul (Glasgow) (Lab)
Thomson, Michelle (Falkirk East) (SNP)
Todd, Maree (Caithness, Sutherland and Ross) (SNP)
Torrance, David (Kirkcaldy) (SNP)
Tweed, Evelyn (Stirling) (SNP)
Whitfield, Martin (South Scotland) (Lab)
Whitham, Elena (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (SNP)
Whittle, Brian (South Scotland) (Con)
AGAINST
Adamson, Clare (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)
Allan, Alasdair (Na h-Eileanan an Iar) (SNP)
Baillie, Jackie (Dumbarton) (Lab)
Baker, Claire (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Balfour, Jeremy (Lothian) (Con)
Bibby, Neil (West Scotland) (Lab)
Boyack, Sarah (Lothian) (Lab)
Brown, Keith (Clackmannanshire and Dunblane) (SNP)
Carson, Finlay (Galloway and West Dumfries) (Con)
Choudhury, Foysol (Lothian) (Lab)
Constance, Angela (Almond Valley) (SNP)
Doris, Bob (Glasgow Maryhill and Springburn) (SNP)
Duncan-Glancy, Pam (Glasgow) (Lab)
Eagle, Tim (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Ewing, Annabelle (Cowdenbeath) (SNP)
Ewing, Fergus (Inverness and Nairn) (SNP)
Forbes, Kate (Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch) (SNP)
Fraser, Murdo (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Gallacher, Meghan (Central Scotland) (Con)
Golden, Maurice (North East Scotland) (Con)
Gosal, Pam (West Scotland) (Con)
Gougeon, Mairi (Angus North and Mearns) (SNP)
Grant, Rhoda (Highlands and Islands) (Lab)
Griffin, Mark (Central Scotland) (Lab)
Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Haughey, Clare (Rutherglen) (SNP)
Hoy, Craig (South Scotland) (Con)
Kerr, Stephen (Central Scotland) (Con)
Leonard, Richard (Central Scotland) (Lab)
MacGregor, Fulton (Coatbridge and Chryston) (SNP)
Maguire, Ruth (Cunninghame South) (SNP)
Proxy vote cast by Rona Mackay Marra, Michael (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Mason, John (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind)
Matheson, Michael (Falkirk West) (SNP)
McCall, Roz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
McMillan, Stuart (Greenock and Inverclyde) (SNP)
McNair, Marie (Clydebank and Milngavie) (SNP)
McNeill, Pauline (Glasgow) (Lab)
Mountain, Edward (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Mundell, Oliver (Dumfriesshire) (Con)
O'Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab)
Regan, Ash (Edinburgh Eastern) (Alba)
Roddick, Emma (Highlands and Islands) (SNP)
Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Rowley, Alex (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab)
Sarwar, Anas (Glasgow) (Lab)
Simpson, Graham (Central Scotland) (Con)
Smith, Liz (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Sturgeon, Nicola (Glasgow Southside) (SNP)
Swinney, John (Perthshire North) (SNP)
Villalba, Mercedes (North East Scotland) (Lab)
Webber, Sue (Lothian) (Con)
Wells, Annie (Glasgow) (Con)
White, Tess (North East Scotland) (Con)
Wishart, Beatrice (Shetland Islands) (LD)
Yousaf, Humza (Glasgow Pollok) (SNP)
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