MSP Liam McArthur seeks to ‘strengthen’ assisted dying Bill

The MSP spearheading new legislation which would allow terminally-ill Scots the right to seek help to die has said he wants to “strengthen” his proposals.

Liam McArthur spoke out ahead of MSPs on Holyrood’s Health Committee starting to consider hundreds of possible amendments to his Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.

It comes after an historic vote earlier this year saw Holyrood back the general principles of the legislation.

Opponents of the change insist it is “abundantly clear that no number of amendments can make this deeply-flawed Bill safe”.

With almost 300 proposed amendments due to be debated and voted on by the committee over several sessions, Mr McArthur said “the focus rightly shifts to how we might strengthen the Bill”.

The Liberal Democrat MSP said: “The amendments that I am putting forward take on board the views of experts who will have a role in the delivery of extending the choice of assisted dying to terminally-ill patients.

“They also address points that the Parliament’s Health Committee wished to see clarified at this stage in the process.

“Each amendment I have submitted underpins the Bill’s driving principles of safety, compassion and choice.

“They balance the need for dying people to be able to access the option of assisted dying with strong protections and safeguards. They increase transparency around end-of-life care and decision-making.

“They ensure that the decision of whether or not to participate in the process is firmly in the hands of individual medics by shifting from an opt-out to an opt-in system.”

With the committee expected to spend several sessions scrutinising the amendments, Mr McArthur added: “This Bill has been a long time coming but, at long last, it offers a chance to provide the compassionate choice that a small number of terminally-ill Scots desperately need.”

Dr Gordon Macdonald, chief executive officer of the Care Not Killing campaign group, said: “Serious questions remain about the safety of this legislation and it is abundantly clear that no number of amendments can make this deeply-flawed Bill safe.”

He added: “The volume of amendments reflects deep-rooted and genuinely-held concerns about this Bill and its risks for Scotland’s most vulnerable. No safeguards can fully protect the vulnerable.

“MSPs from all parties are raising the alarm. The broad range of amendments covering every part of this Bill demonstrates just how deeply flawed it is.

“Scotland deserves legislation that protects its most at-risk citizens. Not one that leaves them exposed. We urge MSPs to listen, scrutinise and reject this unsafe Bill.”

Dr Miro Griffiths, spokesman for the Better Way campaign group, also spoke out against the proposed legislation, branding it a “regressive and dangerous idea”.

He said: “Almost 300 amendments have been lodged ahead of stage two consideration, highlighting the many fundamental problems with Mr McArthur’s Bill.

“Proponents of assisted suicide believe that some tinkering around the edges will make this legislation fit for purpose. However, experts in medicine, law, disability and other areas know that there is no way to make it ‘safe’.

“This Bill would see the state assisting, rather than preventing, suicides for the first time, removing vital safeguards for some of society’s most vulnerable citizens.”