The Scottish Parliament is consulting on a new bill to legalise euthanasia in the country for terminally ill and mentally competent adults. Source: Vatican News.
“The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill” was drafted by the Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur and was published in March this year.
If approved by the Holyrood Parliament, Scotland would be the first UK nation enabling terminally ill individuals to access an assisted death.
Under the proposed text, patients could only request medical assistance to end their life if they had a terminal illness and had been ruled mentally fit to make the decision by two doctors.
In addition, the patient must be aged 16 or over, a resident of Scotland for at least 12 months, and must administer the life-ending medication him or herself.
In June, the Scottish Parliament’s Health Committee launched an online consultation – which is to close on Friday – to explore public views on the issue.
Supporters of the legislation argue that legalising assisted dying would ease suffering. Opponents, including the Catholic Church, the Church of Scotland, and the Scottish Association of Mosques worry that some terminally ill people could feel under pressure to end their lives prematurely.
In a strongly worded pastoral letter issued in March, the Catholic bishops of Scotland said that allowing “us to kill our brothers and sisters, takes us down a dangerous spiral that always puts at risk the most vulnerable members of our society, including the elderly, the disabled, and those who struggle with mental health”.
This will be the third time that the Scottish Parliament has considered the issue.
In 2010, MSPs rejected Margo MacDonald’s End of Life Assistance Bill by 85 votes to 16. Another bill on Assisted Suicide was rejected in 2015 by 82 votes to 36.
FULL STORY
Scottish Parliament to discuss new assisted dying bill (By Lisa Zengarini, Vatican News)
