by Brian Cairns

All people deserve to be safe under the law, without exception. Proposals to legalise assisted dying, which are currently being considered at the Holyrood and Westminster parliaments, present a challenge to the future care of our family, friends, loved ones, and neighbours. If we do not respond, state assisted suicide will become part of our NHS and bring about changes that many in the population are not being made fully aware of.

Many people (including some new MPs) think that the Bills at Holyrood and Westminster will simply allow an act of mercy for a few, with no real consequence for the rest of the population. Evidence from other countries, however, show that, through time, these Bills will change the practice of health care for us all and will undermine the welfare and rights of many, especially the vulnerable.

Voting

Time is short: decisive votes are expected to take place in London and Edinburgh very soon. Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP, the first permanent wheelchair user in the Scottish Parliament, wrote an open letter to her fellow MSPs, asking them to vote against the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill. Her letter gets to the heart of the proposed legislation.

Brian Cairns is a member of CAAD, a Scottish campaign group which arose from concern about the impact of assisted suicide on the common good. It developed through grassroots conversations across Scotland with people for and against assisted dying proposals.

Photo by Alex Sheldon on Unsplash

You can read the full text of Pam Duncan-Glancy’s letter here