(LifeSiteNews) — First Minister John Swinney has stated that he will not support a bill to legalize assisted suicide in Scotland. Swinney told BBC Scotland News that “I’ve come to the conclusion that I can’t support it (the legislation) because I’m worried that it would fundamentally change the relationships between patients and clinicians.” The first minister is the head of the Scottish government.
Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur put forward an initial proposal for his “Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill” on June 21, 2021, and a public consultation on the bill’s contents ran from September 2021 to December 2021, with the final proposal being lodged on September 8, 2022. It was finally formally introduced to the Scottish Parliament on March 27, 2024. It will be voted on by MSPs on May 13.
The assisted suicide bill would permit patients to request euthanasia from a physician on the condition that they have a terminal illness and had been ruled mentally competent to make that decision by at least two doctors. Every jurisdiction that legalizes euthanasia initially legalizes only specific circumstances but inevitably expands the eligibility criteria to a wide range of other conditions.
According to the BBC, “Swinney’s decision to vote against the bill may sway some undecided MSPs, particularly in his own party.” Swinney stated that his Christian faith played a role in his decision. “I’m worried that some of the vulnerable in our society might feel that they are a burden and that they may therefore opt or feel under pressure to end their life prematurely.”
“I can’t separate myself from my own judgments,” he added. “I’m a man of faith. I believe that we are all individually and equally created in the likeness of God. I also have my family perspective on this – my wife has a terminal condition and that is something we live with. I can’t for a moment suggest that these real factors have had no impact on the decision I’ve made.” A Holyrood committee examining the assisted suicide bill stated that MSPs should vote as a “matter of conscience” next week.
This is the third time that Scottish Parliament has voted on assisted suicide. The End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill in 2010 was defeated on December 1, 2010, by a margin of 85-16 with two abstentions. That bill would have permitted terminally ill or permanently incapacitated individuals over age 16 to request assisted suicide. The Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill in 2015 was defeated on May 27, 2015, by a margin of 82 to 36. In both cases, critics cited their fear of the “slippery slope.”
“I’m concerned that we don’t have a guarantee that the legislation could essentially extent in scope beyond the decision in principle,” Swinney said. “I have agonized about this issue. I have been struck powerfully by the representations that constituents have made to me and others who have experienced a great deal of suffering amongst their loved ones. They wanted me to vote for this legislation and I’m sorry that I can’t do what they want me to do. But I feel it’s wrongly principled to go down this route and that’s why I’ll vote against it on Tuesday.”
McArthur is still hopeful that his bill has enough support for it to pass despite firm opposition from both the Catholic Church in Scotland as well as the Scottish Association of Mosques and several other high-profile politicians. McArthur stated, “I would like to thank (the first minister) for his considered approach, the time he has taken to discuss the issue with me and his recognition that in this vote he does not speak for his party but solely on a personal basis.”
