McArthur responds to health committee’s summary of assisted dying consultation responses

Responding to the Health Committee publishing a summary of responses received in response to its call for evidence on Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, which shows that a majority of respondents were supportive of the bill, Mr McArthur said:

“Our current laws on assisted dying are failing too many terminally ill Scots, often leaving them facing an undignified and sometimes painful death despite the very best efforts of palliative care. It is clear that a new compassionate and safe law is required.

"The committee is right to note that responses to this call for evidence will be self-selecting and members will need to decide what weight to attach to the different submissions. However, I would like to thank those organisations and individuals that have taken the time to respond to the Committee’s call for evidence.

“I was pleased to see a majority of respondents declaring their support for my bill and rightly emphasising the importance of reducing suffering and upholding personal dignity and autonomy.

“The bill I have put forward will give terminally ill, mentally competent adults the option to control the manner and timing of their death. It will introduce practical measures that make end-of-life care safer and fairer for all. It is based on evidence and grounded in compassion. Safety is woven into the fabric of the bill with measures to assess eligibility, protect against coercion, ensure rigorous medical oversight and robustly monitor every part of the process.

“We can see from some of the harrowing testimonies to the consultation that what we have right now does not work to keep dying people, their families and other vulnerable people safe. I look froward to making the case for greater choice and compassion to the committee as they undertake their detailed scrutiny of the bill.”