Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon will not back a proposal to bring in assisted dying in what she described as the “most difficult decision” of her career as an MSP.
A new law allowing terminally-ill people to take their own life, put forward by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, will be voted on at the Scottish Parliament on 13 May.
Sturgeon said she would not support the legislation because of fears around the threat of coercion and the definition of a terminal illness being too broad.
The ex-SNP leader will join her successors Humza Yousaf and John Swinney, along with Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, in opposing the legislation.
In a post on Instagram, the former first minister said: “I have come to the conclusion that while some of the misgivings I have about the bill in its current form could be addressed by amendments, some of my concerns are so fundamental that this would not be possible”.
While she praised Mr McArthur’s approach to the bill as being one of “great sensitivity”, Sturgeon added: “I worry about the change in the doctor-patient relationship that would result from legislating to allow assisted dying and also about how it might profoundly change society’s attitude to life and death and in particular to the importance of supporting people through good palliative care to live well before dying well.”
Sturgeon went on to raise fears over the definition of terminal illness in the bill being too wide and an “internal coercion” that some people, especially the elderly, might feel as part of a “perceived duty to die”.
If the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill passes, it would allow patients to request medical assistance to end their own life.
However it would only be permitted under strict circumstances – if the person had a terminal illness and had been ruled mentally fit to make the decision by two doctors.
MSPs will be allowed a free vote on the issue at Holyrood, meaning parties will not compel their members to back a particular position.
This assisted dying proposal is the third time MSPs have voted on this type of legislation since the Scottish Parliament was re-established.
A bill to legalise the measure in England and Wales passed its first stage at the House of Commons in November.
The latest Scottish bill has proved divisive, and is opposed by the Catholic Church in Scotland and the Scottish Association of Mosques.
The Church of Scotland is “partially opposed” to the legislation becoming law, but says its official position is currently under review.
Last week Liam McArthur said he would raise the minimum age in the proposed legislation from 16 to 18.
The Lib Dem MSP said he had considered the matter “very carefully” and the change was in line with legislation in the US, Australia and New Zealand.
He has urged MSPs to vote in favour of the bill and help create “the most compassionate, safe and suitable law for Scotland”.
Ally Thomson, the director of the Dignity in Dying Scotland pressure group, said she was “disappointed” with John Swinney’s decision not back the bill but she appreciated that he “took the time to speak with dying people who are desperate for this choice”.
