Latest news with #AssistedDyingforTerminallyIllAdultsBill
STV News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- STV News
Assisted dying in Scotland is not a done deal
Despite a much bigger parliamentary vote than anyone had expected, legalised assisted dying in Scotland is still far from a done deal. MSPs voted by 70 to 56 to support the general principles of Liam McArthur's Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill. There are currently 128 MSPs following the death of Christina McKelvie, that leaves two votes unaccounted for. Health secretary Neil Gray abstained to maintain his neutrality as the minister who will have to deal with the Bill as it now starts to progress through the Parliamentary system. And the other is Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone, who did not vote, although if it had been a tied vote of 63 each, she would have voted for the Bill at Stage 1 to allow it to continue. So that gives the Bill a majority of 14. That was much bigger than either side in this debate had predicted, but it could easily be overturned in the final vote at Stage 3 if just seven MSPs change their minds. Just off the top of my head I can come up with seven MSPs who said they were voting for the Bill at Stage 1 but could reconsider when it gets to the final decision. It's the position Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay took. Others said yesterday they would do the same including Miles Briggs, Ross Greer, Emma Harper, Daniel Johnson, Colin Smyth and Brian Whittle. That's seven potential switchers already. And if the final Stage 3 vote is tied the Presiding Officer would vote against, sticking with the convention of preserving the status quo. None of that takes anything away from the historic vote in the Scottish Parliament yesterday. It came after one of the best debates Holyrood has hosted where speaker after speaker from all parties gave of their best, and gave much more of themselves than usual. It was a respectful and emotional debate. Every speech was applauded. It was a debate befitting the life and death nature of the subject. What it does is show that this debate is far from over. What comes next is Stage 2 where the Health Committee will consider amendments. There will be a lot of amendments – Liam McArthur has already said he will change the qualifying age from 16 to 18. There will be many more on things like defining the word 'terminal', whether doctors should opt in or out of it. The Royal College of Pharmacists want their members to have to an opt in to fulfilling prescriptions for the life ending drugs. The Scottish Parliament doesn't actually have power over those drugs so would have to seek a Section 30 Order from Westminster, just like it did for the 2014 Independence Referendum, so that is not guaranteed. Then there is the timing of the next stages. The Health Committee is not likely to start Stage 2 scrutiny until after the summer break. That could take a couple of months, which means the final vote at Stage 3 is unlikely until the New Year. Then it will be just a few months from the Scottish Parliament election which means this could be an issue in that campaign. Even though Stage 1 was a free vote, based on each MSP's conscience with no party direction, every single one of them were inundated by messages from constituents on both sides of the debate. That could take on even more significance in the run-up to an election, and they could face questions at public hustings and meetings. So this is far from a done deal, assisted dying is closer than it has ever been, but it is still a long way from law. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Edinburgh Reporter
13-05-2025
- Health
- Edinburgh Reporter
Edinburgh MSPs on the Assisted Dying Bill
Amid planned protests this morning outside The Scottish Parliament, The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill will reach Stage 1 on Tuesday afternoon in The Scottish Parliament. This is a Member's Bill promoted by Liam McArthur MSP who has put forward the motion 'That the Parliament agrees to the general principles of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill'. He has said that 'an overwhelming majority' of people in Scotland support the draft legislation. On Tuesday in the Chamber, the bill will be scrutinised by MSPs in detail, and a vote by a majority is required to allow the bill to move forward. The bill is intended to allow someone to request a procedure to end their life as long as two doctors confirm they have a terminal illness. John Swinney said he will vote against the bill, and former First Ministers Humza Yousaf, Kate Forbes and Nicola Sturgeon have also said they will do the same, but supporters of the bill say they believe they have enough support to get the bill past today's stage one. MSPs are to have a free vote on this legislation. Foysol Choudhury MSP for Lothian has said he will vote against the bill. He said: 'After having considered my position, I will be voting against the bill. 'The bill uses a broad definition of terminal illness which would include people with disabilities and those with years to live. This has been raised by constituents and disabled people's groups as sending the message that their lives are less valuable and opening them to potential coercion. These concerns are compounded by experiences in other jurisdictions, which have seen the law widened following legal challenges. 'I am also concerned that assisted dying would place undue pressure on terminally ill people to end their lives as to not be a burden on their families, and do not believe proposed safeguards protect against this. 'I understand some may be disappointed, this has been a difficult decision to make. 'In any case, our priority should be ensuring every person can access palliative care, and those with terminal illnesses are well supported.' Sue Webber MSP for Lothian said on X: 'I have received thousands of emails on Assisted Dying. Tomorrow I will vote against the Assisted Dying Bill. The risks to vulnerable people are real and once we cross this line, there's no going back. No amendments will ever mean the legislation has satisfactory safeguards.' Jeremy Balfour MSP for Lothian has spoken out against the bill along with two other MSPs, Pam Duncan-Glancy and Emma Roddick. Mr Balfour said on X: 'We come from different political parties. We do not always agree. But on this we speak with one voice: the Scottish Parliament must reject the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill.' In September 2024, Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western told the Liberal Democrat conference why he supported the bill. He said: 'My father-in-law slipped away from us six years ago, on a day not unlike this one. 'He succumbed to a kind of liver cancer that was mercifully painless and took him very swiftly after diagnosis. We'd managed to get him home from hospital and when it was clear the end was coming, Gill and her siblings moved back into the house to support their parents through the final week of his life. 'I would go out there whenever I could, it wasn't a chore, it was lovely. They had created a bubble around him filled with love and light and laughter. We took turns to spend precious time with him. There was such unexpected joy in those days and then one morning he was gone. It was a very gentle passing. 'If I could choose the manner of my own death, it would certainly be that. 'But we don't get to choose. 'All too many people are denied a good death and depart this world in pain and in distress. 'Endings matter, in stories and in life, and I want to know that if I am dying in agony, beyond the reach of palliative care or I know that moment is coming, then I'll have the right to say 'this far and no further' and leave this world in dignity. 'We have human rights designed to protect and safeguard every aspect of our life, save one and that is our departure from it. 'That's why I support the Assisted Dying for Terminally ill Adults Bill currently before the Scottish Parliament.' The debate on the bill will begin after Topical Questions on Tuesday afternoon. The Scottish Parliament Like this: Like Related
