Bill ‘profoundly concerning’

The church in Scotland should ‘be at the forefront’ of opposition to assisted dying proposals being brought before the Scottish Parliament, according to Stuart Weir, Head of CARE (Christian Action, Research and Education) Scotland.

The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, proposed by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, would see terminally-ill people over 16 allowed to request medical assistance to end their life, so long as two doctors had deemed them mentally fit to make the decision, so long as they had been judged not to have experienced coercion when making the decision, and take the life-ending medication themselves.

Weir believes the Bill is concerning and spoke about why the church should strongly oppose it. He said: ‘The assisted suicide Bill brought forward by Liam McArthur MSP is profoundly concerning for the church and wider society.

‘At CARE, we believe what’s proposed is antithetical to good medical practice. Doctors should care for and protect vulnerable patients, not give them a harmful dose of drugs to ingest to end their lives. It also sends a harmful message that some lives – perhaps lives that involve a lack of mobility or autonomy – are not worth living.

Lucy Honeysett, Lead Coordinator for Christians in Care (a network which enables Christian carers to support each other), spoke about the importance of good care for those who are terminally ill.

She said: ‘It’s a privilege to care for people who are dying and to play some small part in reminding them that they are precious, their life is of great value, not forgotten and, where possible, if God opens doors, sharing with them that they are created by God, in His image and are precious to Him.’