A new bill to make Assisted Dying legal in Scotland has now been published at The Scottish Parliament.
The proposed legislation would allow competent adults aged 16 or over who are living with an advanced and progressive terminal illness to be provided with help to bring their life to an end and in circumstances where they have requested such assistance.
Two doctors, including one medical professional who has no previous relationship with a patient, would both need to confirm that the person is terminally ill, retains the capacity to ask for assistance in ending their life and has made the decision voluntarily.
There would then be a gap of two weeks between the request and the provision of the medication to be taken by the patient themselves.
When the medication is to be handed over, a further determination would also have to be made that the patient still wanted to continue and retained the capacity to take the decision.
Doctors who do not wish to be involved with Assisted Dying can be exempt from the procedure.
There would also be a residency requirement for people to have lived in Scotland for a minimum of one year to be granted an assisted death.
Eastwood MSP, Jackson Carlaw is backing the bill and he is a member of the Assisted Dying Steering Group at Holyrood.
Constituency-level polling commissioned by the campaign group, Dignity In Dying Scotland found that 71 percent of Eastwood respondents who participated in this exercise support changing the law on Assisted Dying.
Scottish Conservative MSP for Eastwood, Jackson Carlaw said:
“Alongside MSP colleagues from across Holyrood, I am supporting the introduction of Liam McArthur's proposed Assisted Dying legislation for terminally ill competent adults in Scotland.
“Proposals of such importance must be rigorously debated, scrutinised and include appropriate safeguards to ensure that any agreed legislation does not become subject to abuse or misuse.
“I am confident that the legislation does include robust safeguards and the published bill will now be subject to detailed scrutiny.
“Having to cope with a terminal illness is of course hugely distressing and difficult, both for the patient and their families.
“There are many personal testimonies where competent adults with a terminal illness suffered greatly at the end and would have wanted the option to decide when to end their life.
“In my own view, the time has now come to change the law on Assisted Dying in Scotland.”
Further Information:
Jackson Carlaw MSP supporting the efforts to change the law on Assisted Dying at a stall hosted by the Dignity in Dying campaign group at a recent conference attached.
Jackson Carlaw MSP pictured with Orkney Islands MSP, Liam McArthur who has proposed the bill and is the lead sponsor of the legislation at Holyrood. Mr Carlaw has also agreed to be the alternative MSP for progressing the bill through the Scottish Parliament attached.
The proposed bill can be viewed by clicking on the following weblink - https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/assisted-dying-for-terminally-ill-adults-scotland-bill/introduced