by Brian Cairns

As members of the Scottish Parliament consider how they will vote on the Assisted Dying Bill which was introduced in May by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, they might do well to reflect on the concerns of Alison McInnes MSP, which she expressed during the 2015 Holyrood debate on Assisted Dying. Her words provide a sobering insight for today’s legislators.

‘I come to this debate as a liberal and a humanist. I do not accept that there is a right to die… autonomy (personal choice) is not absolute, we are not entitled to exercise a freedom that undermines or endangers the freedom of others… We need to have choice with responsibility… In vulnerable people’s minds, the right to die will become a duty to die’.

I am a member of CAAD (Campaign Against Assisted Dying), a small group with a shared concern about assisted dying legislation and its unintended consequences. We have studied evidence, including statements from medical staff, from countries which have changed the law, and discovered that the safeguarding which was put in place does not protect vulnerable people.

For over two years, CAAD has initiated conversations in communities across Scotland with people who are both for and against proposals to legislate for Assisted Dying. We have held conferences and meetings, spoken to individuals and groups, and engaged around 2,000 citizens on the issue. When we shared what we have learned about the impact of legislation in other countries, common responses have been ‘I didn’t realise’; ‘I thought it would only affect a few people’; ‘that’s not fair’.

We realise that this is a very sensitive issue and that people are moved by concern for those who are suffering and for their families. But we believe that we need to look at the whole picture: the challenges posed by end-of-life care and the international evidence of unintended but predictable consequences of assisted dying legislation.

Brian Cairns is a retired teacher and a founding member of CAAD.

Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash.