The Scottish Parliament has overwhelmingly rejected a Bill to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland.
MSPs were given a free vote yesterday, allowing them to vote
according to their consciences rather than along party lines. The End
of Life Assistance Bill was crushed by 85-16.
Gordon Macdonald, of the Care Not Killing alliance said it was a
fantastic result and a “victory for the most vulnerable in our
community”.
In rejecting the controversial legislation, he said MSPs recognised
that legalising assisted suicide would “seriously endanger public
safety” and had instead given a ringing endorsement to palliative care.
“The sheer magnitude of [the Bill’s] defeat should settle this issue in Scotland for a generation,” he said.
“The key argument that decided this vote and the similar votes in the
House of Lords in 2006 and 2009 is a simple one. The right to die can
so easily become the duty to die.
“Vulnerable people who are sick, elderly or disabled can so easily
feel pressure, whether real or imagined, to end their lives so as not to
be a burden on others.
“Parliament’s first responsibility is to protect the vulnerable and that is what they have voted to do today.”
The controversial legislation would have made Scotland the first part
of the UK to legalise assisted suicide if it had been successful.
It proposed granting any person above 16 who was terminally ill and
found life intolerable the right to ask for assistance in ending their
lives.
Ms MacDonald, who has Parkinson’s disease, vowed to resume her campaign if she was re-elected to the Scottish Parliament.
She said: “Parliament’s will must be respected, but Parliament’s will
can change. If I stand next time, and if I’m elected, people will know
without a doubt that I’m going to pursue the idea and I’ll surely be
able to say that there’s some sort of mandate implicit in that.”
Care Not Killing defended itself against Ms MacDonald's assertion
that their campaign against the Bill was "cheap and unworthy" and that
their claims of the potential harm to society were not backed up with
proof.
Mr Macdonald said her criticism was unfounded and that their position
was supported by a committee set up to examine the Bill, which recently
recommended that the legislation be dropped.
He conceded, however, that in spite of the huge margin of yesterday's
defeat, the issue may not be completely laid to rest if Ms MacDonald is
re-elected.
He said Care Not Killing would make every effort to get as much
information out about the implications of legalising assisted suicide
and the importance of palliative care ahead of the next elections to the
Scottish Parliament.
"We fully expect that the pro-euthanasia lobby is not going to give up," he said.
"They're going to keep coming back so we have to be constantly vigilant against that."
SIC: CT/UK
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