Scottish Catholic Observer

The Catholic Church led opposition to Margo MacDonald’s assisted suicide bill this week while campaigners demonstrated against the legislation outside the Scottish Parliament.

The End of Life Assistance Bill committee is currently hearing evidence about the bill prior to a final version being voted on by MSPs.

Danger of the bill

John Deighan, the Church’s parliamentary officer in Scotland, was among those giving evidence to the committee on Tuesday and he wasted no time in spelling out the End of Life Assistance Bill’s dangers.

“The hearing gave me specifically the opportunity to note the threat that these proposals have for the vulnerable, especially those who at present face various forms of abuse from family or carers,” he said. “It was also possible to explain the failure of safeguards to protect the vulnerable in Oregon and in the Netherlands. The Netherlands is a particularly sobering case study given that the pool of those who can be killed has grown steadily since the practice began in that country.”

He added that the situation of Dr Chabot who killed a woman by euthanasia because she claimed she could not face life after the death of her sons was ‘an important case which I took the opportunity of raising with the committee, as was that of Barbara Wagner who was refused the provision of life extending treatment for breast cancer but was told that her health insurance would cover the cost of her assisted suicide drugs.’

“We have to hope that our politicians reflect seriously on the warnings that such cases raise and thus opt to maintain the protection of all lives under the law,” he said.

Demonstrations

Campaigners have been protesting this week outside the Scottish Parliament against the proposed assisted suicide bill.

Members of Inclusion Scotland said Ms MacDonald’s bill discriminates against disabled people and contradicts the independent living agenda. They were protesting as evidence about the bill was being heard inside the parliament.

Disability support worker Catherine Garrod said a double standard was in evidence.

“I think it is offering assisted suicide to disabled people but a non-disabled person who was suicidal would be given counselling,” she said.

Dr Colin Cameron, a disability equality trainer, backed her view.

“We need to provide support for disabled people to live on their own terms, not provide support for them to die,” he said.

The bill would make it legal for doctors to assist those who wish to die. It is designed to help those with a terminal illness and those whose physical disability makes life intolerable.

Personal interest

In response to the protests this week, Ms MacDonald, MSP for East Lothian who herself suffers from Parkinson’s disease, has claimed disabled people had nothing to fear from her bill.

“The bill has nothing whatsoever to do with disabled people, and I think it is absolutely disgraceful that such vulnerable people should have been used here today,” she said.

Medical opposition

Last month, it came to light that the majority of doctors steadfastly oppose the proposed legalisation of assisted suicide in Scotland, according to a British Medical Association (BMA) Scotland submission to the Holyrood committee.

Last week Dr Tony Calland, chairman of the BMA’s Medical Ethics Committee, warned against the bill. “Once you’ve crossed the rubicon of changing the law to allow premeditated hastening of the death of another person, you can never go back,” he said.

Dr Calland added that if legislation allowing assisted suicide was passed it would inevitably ‘creep’ into other areas.

Earlier this month Elaine Stevens, from the Independent Association of Nurses in Palliative Care, asked: “Does Scotland really want to be recognised as a ‘death tourism’ destination?”

She also warned that people would register with doctors who took part in the scheme, even if they didn’t live in the area.

In June over 14,000 people signed a Care Not Killing petition against the bill.

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