Campaigners in favour of medically assisted suicide in England, Scotland and France have apparently suffered setbacks that could ensure the controversial practice never comes into law.
A recent report by The Guardian suggested that the Westminster bill, put forward by Labour’s Kim Leadbeater, will likely never come to a final vote and so will fail by default.
Both sides of the debate have accused the other of using underhand tactics to get their way. Proponents of assisted suicide claim the other side has used procedural delaying tactics in the Lords to ensure the bill never becomes law.
Pro-life campaigners have pointed out that the government, which is officially neutral on the issue, has apparently been favouring the pro-suicide position with its actions. It has also been pointed out that extra scrutiny of a bill that would give state institutions the power of life and death merits additional scrutiny and care.
Labour MP Florence Eshalomi told the Guardian, “Not a single royal college, professional body or cabinet minister will attest to the safety of this bill. Scrutiny should never be conflated with obstruction and it would be reckless for Lords to ignore the concerns of such a wide range of experts.”
In Scotland, which is considering a separate but similar bill, it has emerged that when MSPs give their final vote on the bill, they will do so without knowing if there will be conscience protections for medical professionals.
Neil Gray, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, told the Scottish Parliament’s health committee that it does not have the power to legislate on the issue of conscience protections, as it is not a devolved matter.
Essentially, should the Scottish bill become law, the British government would have final say on whether or not it contains conscience protections.
Gordon Macdonald, CEO of Care Not Killing, told The Times that protection of conscience in the bill was removed “because it was not competent, but what has replaced it impinges on employment law so isn’t legislatively competent either.”
He added, “MSPs have a responsibility to know what they are voting for, not just to hand over a blank cheque.”
In recent developments in Europe more widely, French senators debating their own bill voted to incorporate “medical assistance in dying” into the public health code. However, they rejected the bill's endorsement of euthanasia and assisted suicide. Instead, they added the following statements to the bill: “Everyone has the right to the best possible relief from pain and suffering.” And, “Everyone is entitled to this right until their death, without any voluntary intervention intended to cause death.”
Macdonald said of the developments, “From Paris to Edinburgh, we can see real reasons for hope, real reasons for us all to keep speaking out."
He asked opponents of assisted suicide to "keep writing to lawmakers and newspapers, and discussing the reality of these issues with friends".
"The truth will out," he said.
