In Scotland, a third attempt is being made to enact legislation legalizing assisted dying.
Liam McArthur, a Liberal Democrat MSP, has proposed a Members Bill at Holyrood that, if passed, would allow assisted dying for terminally ill persons who are mentally competent.
Mr McArthur claims that nearly nine out of ten Scots (87%) favour the adoption of such legislation, despite the fact that a previous attempt to modify the law in Holyrood in 2015 was defeated by 82 votes to 36.
Mr McArthur’s effort to “create safe and humane assisted dying laws in Scotland” has already received support from a cross-party group of a dozen MSPs.
The group, which includes former Scottish Conservative leader Jackson Carlaw, as well as Green co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, argued Scotland needed to change its laws so that those who are terminally ill can “be assured of dignified death”.
In an open letter, the MSPs said they had come together to work on the new Bill, as they argued: “The current law does not work and should be replaced with a safe and compassionate new law that gives dying people the rights they need to have a good death at a time that is right for them.
Mr McArthur’s proposed Assisted Dying Scotland Bill, which is being supported by Dignity In Dying Scotland, Friends At The End and the Humanist Society Scotland, is being lodged at Holyrood on Monday.
It seeks to legalise assisted dying as a choice for adults who are both terminally ill and mentally competent, with a consultation planned for the autumn.
