Cancer patient could ‘take matters into own hands’ if MSPs reject assisted dying

A woman suffering from terminal cancer has told MSPs she will “take matters into my own hands” if they fail to pass assisted dying legislation at Holyrood.

Norma Rivers, 73, from Ayr, South Ayrshire, suffers from myeloma, a rare form of blood cancer, and is “running out of treatment options”.

Having watched her father die from cancer, she supports moves to introduce assisted dying in Scotland.

She spoke out ahead of a final debate next month on a Bill brought forward by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur which would allow adults with a terminal illness to seek help to die.

Ms Rivers said: “I want to live as long as possible but I am running out of treatment options.

“If the Bill isn’t passed before I die, I will take matters into my own hands.

“I have just been living in fear, trying to work out which of my drugs I need and how much, and scared I’ll end up worse if it doesn’t work.

“All I ask is for a peaceful ending surrounded by my family.”

She is one of 54 people either with a terminal condition, or who have watched a loved one die from such a disease, to have written to MSPs ahead of the final stages of debate on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.

Members of the group insist they are the “real people at the heart of this Bill”, saying many of them have watched someone they care for having to “suffer unbearably at the end of life”.

While opponents of assisted dying have raised concerns vulnerable people could be coerced into seeking such a  death, the letter states: “Without assisted dying, we are coerced into suffering against our wishes.

“Many of us have already seen a loved one suffer and know what is coming.”

The letter argues that “assisted dying would be a lifeline” for those with a terminal condition and their families, with MSPs being told changing the law “would let us live the rest of our lives in peace, making precious final memories with our loved ones, without the constant dread of how our lives will end”.

The group insisted: “This issue is not going away. Voting against this Bill will not stop us from dying, but will deny us a lifeline to a safe, peaceful death surrounded by our loved ones.

“You have before you an opportunity to shape what an assisted dying law in Scotland looks like. A law that is safe, compassionate and provides choice to those who so desperately need it.

“Without it, our options are bleak. The most dangerous thing you can do for us is nothing.”

They spoke out, however, as Scotland’s bishops spoke of their “deep concern”, warning the country faces a “moment of profound moral consequence” with the vote on Mr McArthur’s Bill.

Members of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland have urged Catholics to contact their MSPs and “respectfully ask them to oppose this legislation”.

In a pastoral letter, the bishops said “Scotland stands at a moment of profound moral consequence”.

If the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill is passed, they said this would “for the first time in our nation’s history permit physician-assisted suicide”.

They argued: “True compassion is not found in hastening death but in walking with those who suffer, ensuring they receive the medical, emotional and spiritual care that affirms their inherent worth.

“Our task as a society is not to eliminate suffering by eliminating the sufferer, but to surround every individual with love, support and dignity until their natural end.”

The bishops insisted that “key protections” have either been “removed or rejected” from the legislation, arguing plans for mandatory training to help doctors recognise signs that patients may be being coerced were rejected by Holyrood’s Health Committee.