Protests planned as Scottish parliament holds free vote on assisted dying bill
Campaigners against assisted dying, including the Silent Witness actor Liz Carr, are staging demonstrations outside the Scottish parliament on Tuesday, hours before MSPs hold a free vote on new legalisation proposals.
Pam Duncan-Glancy, Scottish Labour education spokesperson and one of Holyrood's few disabled MSPs, said it was a mistake to see this issue as one about choice and personal autonomy. It had far-reaching consequences, she added.
She opposed the bill because 'we are legislating for the state to assist someone to take their own life, and in almost every other circumstance we want the state to legislate for people to live and live well'.
That crossed a very significant ethical line, she added. 'No one wants to be in pain; I have lived with chronic pain for 41 years, but the answer should be to ensure that as much palliative care should be in place as possible.'
Tuesday's stage one vote will allow the bill to be scrutinised in detail and amended by a committee of MSPs, but some prominent politicians have spoken out against it, including all three of Scotland's most recent first ministers – John Swinney, Humza Yousaf and Nicola Sturgeon.
The bill, first proposed by the Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur in 2021, allows someone to request assisted dying if two doctors confirm they have an advanced and progressive terminal illness.
The person must have the mental capacity at the time of death to understand their decision, and the ability to carry out the procedure to end their life without someone's help.
McArthur's bill does not include a time limit; a parallel bill being considered for England and Wales requires doctors to confirm the patient is likely to die in six months or less.
In a post on Instagram on Monday, Sturgeon said she feared the bill's provisions against coercion could not prevent 'internal coercion' where an ill person felt 'others might be better off' if they were not there, she said.
'It would risk a situation in which a right to die might become, in the minds of some people, a perceived duty to die.'
Fraser Sutherland, the chief executive of the Humanist Society of Scotland, who plans to speak in favour of the bill outside Holyrood on Tuesday, said the 'vast majority' of Scottish voters supported its measures and urged MSPs to be 'bold, brave, and compassionate'.
'This bill is about compassion, dignity and the fundamental right to choose,' he said. 'Right now, too many Scots with terminal illnesses are forced to suffer or die abroad simply because the law denies them control over their final moments. That is not humane and it must change.
'Assisted dying is not a fringe idea, it is mainstream.'
McArthur, who also sits as one of Holyrood's deputy presiding officers, said the current system left patients and their families unjustifiably traumatised and meant those suffering 'took matters into their own hands', with the wealthy able to afford assisted dying in Switzerland.
'Scotland cannot put off this conversation. And parliament cannot continue to leave this issue in the 'too difficult' box,' he said. 'It must, at the very least, allow time for amendments to be considered to see if a bill can be agreed that commands majority support and public confidence.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EUAN McCOLM: Harsh reality has failed to penetrate Swinney's armour, but it's time he reconnected with reality over gender turmoil
Anas Sarwar's U-turn on self-ID for trans people was humiliating but entirely necessary. Having whipped his MSPs to support the SNP Government's crackpot plan to dismantle women's rights and allow anyone to enter the single-sex spaces of their choosing, the Scottish Labour leader later came to his senses. Interviewed on the Holyrood Sources podcast in February, Mr Sarwar said that, had he known at the time of the gender reform vote in December 2022 what he later learned, he would not have backed a change in the law. The Labour's boss's volte face coincided with public outcry over the case of nurse Sandie Peggie, who was subjected to a disciplinary procedure by NHS Fife after she complained that she should not have to share a changing room with trans-identifying doctor, Beth Upton. After two weeks of tribunal hearings in February, Ms Peggie's claims of discrimination and harassment against the health board and Dr Upton will resume on July 16. Former Conservative Scottish Secretary, Alister Jack, has already saved MSPs from themselves on the issue of self-ID. In 2023, he blocked reform of the Gender Recognition Act in Scotland on the grounds that such a change in the law would negatively impact with the UK-wide Equality Act of 2010. But First Minister John Swinney remains solidly convinced that the failed law - which would have destroyed women's sex-based rights - was wise. Appearing last week on the Holyrood Sources podcast, Mr Swinney was asked about Mr Sarwar's U-turn. Would the First Minister have supported reform of the Gender Recognition Act in 2022 if he'd known what he does now? Harsh reality cannot penetrate the First Minister's armour. 'Yes, I would,' said Mr Swinney. And then he used a line favoured by weasels who reject the idea that allowing men to identify as women might bring with it come complications. The First Minister told the podcast that he was 'trying to improve the lives of a very small number of people in our society who I think have an incredibly hard time.' Gender activists have long focused on the relatively small number of trans-identifying individuals as if this fact makes their ideology any less dangerous. The fact is the demands of these activists impacts everyone, particularly women. Take women's sport, for example. The entry into a women's race or boxing tournament of a biological male disadvantages every female participant. Likewise, every time someone born male is permitted to take a woman's place on a protected short-list or to enter a single-sex space such as a changing room or a domestic violence shelter, others pay a heavy price. But the pernicious effect of gender ideology is felt far beyond 'flashpoints' such as arguments over single-sex spaces. In fact, it has seeped into every aspect of modern life. Organisations across the public and private sectors have ignored their legal responsibilities in order to permit self-ID, despite the law being quite clear that, when it comes so single-sex safe spaces, biology trumps all else. The publication, today, of a new report into the impact of gender ideology on the world of academia shows just how deeply the 'trans women are women' mantra of gender activists has penetrated universities across the country. Professor Alice Sullivan of University College London was commissioned by the UK Government to examine the effect of gender ideology on academic freedom. Her findings make for deeply disturbing reading. Professor Sullivan's report - 'Barriers to research on sex and gender' - was commissioned by the UK Government's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The academic found that the last decade has seen the emergence of a culture of hostility towards anyone who shares so-called 'gender critical' views. Across 17 categories, including 'self-censorship' and 'bullying, harassment and ostracism', Professor Sullivan found academics had been silenced on issues of sex and gender. John Swinney may be able to content himself that to acquiesce to the demands of trans activists is to do no more than offer assistance to a few vulnerable people, but Professor Sullivan's report shatters that idea. In the course of her research, the academic - who previously published a report exposing the damage caused by inaccurate recording of sex by UK institutions - found that vital scientific research, including studies on the effects of medical interventions like puberty blockers, and data collection on sex - has been undermined by universities' failure to address coordinated campaigns to silence academics deemed guilty of such wrong-think as 'a woman is an adult human female.' Professor Sullivan says her research raises 'stark concerns' and highlights cases where researchers investigating vital issues have been subjected to sustained campaigns of intimidation simply for acknowledging the biological and social importance of sex. Among the many academics interviewed by Professor Sullivan was Sarah Pedersen, Professor of Communication and Media at Robert Gordon University, who was targeted by activists after expressing the perfect rational view that biological sex is real. Professor Pedersen says the 'cancellation' of high-profile gender-critical academics has damaged the entire higher education sector. 'My personal experiences of disruption, no-platforming and personal attacks,' she adds, 'have impacted not just my academic career but also my work for third-sector organisations, who were warned away from working with me, meaning they could no longer benefit from my expertise.' Professor Sullivan has made a list of 20 recommendations to the UK Government and to academic institution which she hopes will defend research and protect individual academics from both professional and personal attacks. These include such simple steps as agreeing to prioritise the search from truth over adherence to political agendas and enabling 'genuine' academic debate. The Scottish Government should pay attention. In a fortnight, Sandie Peggie's tribunal will recommence in Dundee. The devastating impact of gender ideology on the lives of ordinary people will, once again, dominate the news agenda. John Swinney is a fool if he thinks voters still buy the line that reforming gender laws will impact a tiny proportion of the population. Ms Peggie's case shows clearly the harms done to women by the removal of long-established boundaries. In workplaces across the country, the demands of trans activists have made the lives of women miserable. Those same campaigners have been allowed to destroy the careers of dedicated academic and wreck important research, all in the name of making life easier for 'a very small number of people.' It's time for John Swinney to reconnect with reality and stop pandering to activists whose demands do nothing but harm.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Chris Coghlan might be the most spineless MP in Britain
Saint Bartholomew was flayed alive. Saint Peter was crucified upside down. Saint John Fisher was beheaded. Chris Coghlan is worried he might have to send his children to a different school, and boy is he upset about it. Having been denied communion by his priest after voting for assisted dying, the Liberal Democrat MP has become the latest in an ignoble series of politicians to realise belatedly that 'Catholic' isn't just a box ticked on an application form, but a religion with rules and moral principles. 'I thought an MP could keep their religion private', Mr Coghlan wrote on X, 'but there's been some discussion about mine. If there isn't space in the Catholic Church for those who don't subscribe to all of it, that's a shame'. Here's the rub: there isn't. If you want a religion where you are free to act against the moral teachings of the Church in accordance with your own conscience, and protest the authority that those teachings carry, you are probably looking for some variety of Protestantism. The clue is in the name. Catholicism, on the other hand, is what we might call a package deal. Your children get to go to the Catholic state school they attend, with the priest 'signing off' the forms, but you don't get to vote for the state killing the sick and the elderly without incurring a measure of rebuke. And a measure of rebuke is essentially what this is. Mr Coghlan seems to view the priest's action as 'an attempt to coerce a Member of Parliament in their voting intention', but it would be better seen as an expression of the view that he, through his own actions, has separated himself from God, and needs to seek reconciliation through confession. And that due to the manner in which his actions were taken, there is some public recognition of that separation. That's really all it is. The risk that the priest will cease signing school forms for a man who quietly attends a Catholic church in prayer seems minimal. And yet one gets the impression that this won't quite be enough to satisfy Mr Coghlan, who has complained that it 'undermines the legitimacy of religious institutions' when the actions of elected officials incur displeasure from the clergy. On the contrary, it would surely undermine it more if they didn't, but then that's probably the point. What Mr Coghlan has run into is the same problem that bedevilled Tim Farron in his period as party leader: the inherent inability of modern British liberalism to deal with the idea of religion as something people take seriously as a source of moral guidance, rather than as an interesting piece of decoration on fundamentally liberal beliefs. What he appears to want is to be told that he can do what he will in his professional life, with no consequence for his religious status. The result is a sort of de facto Test Act: you must always vote your conscience, you can be religious, but you must never let religion dictate your conscience. This is, obviously, absurd on its own terms, and as a train of thought: asked to entrust my life to the accumulated moral judgements of two millennia of some of the West's brightest minds, or the 2024 Westminster intake's understanding of 19th century moral philosophy, and I am going to take my chances with the former. If nothing else, traditional Christian moral beliefs are battle-tested in a way their would-be replacements are not, having guided successful societies for centuries. Many aspects of Liberalism, on the other hand, appear to be self-destructing in spectacular fashion on contact with the reality of human nature. All this, however, is somewhat beside the point, which is that it is shamefully gutless to take an action which has defined consequences, and then appear to attempt to use public pressure to coerce a priest into going against the teachings of his faith because it made you feel bad. Mr Coghlan can either go to confession and end this drama in a heartbeat. Or he can continue his press tour and his social media commentary. No man can serve two masters. He cannot worship God and JS Mill at the same time. Pick one.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
The quiet man who could rescue the Tories
Kemi Badenoch's appointment of Lord McInnes of Kilwinning as the chief executive of Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) is, in the minds of senior Tories, unarguably one of the most important she's made. Known to everyone – friend and foe alike – as plain 'Mark', he is to be the full-time boss of the party structure, charged with everything and anything to do with rebuilding the Tories from his base at what many still call Conservative Central Office. The peer, ennobled by David Cameron in the former Tory prime minister's resignation honours list, is a former director of the Conservatives in Scotland. He also played a key role in the 2014 independence referendum when he helped assemble the all-party Better Together campaign team. Although a hugely controversial move – which saw Gordon Brown initially refuse to share a platform with Tories – Lord McInnes and the late lamented Alastair Darling helped weld an effective fighting force of Labour, Liberal Democrats and Conservatives to defeat the SNP's plans to take Scotland out of the United Kingdom. Although the nationalists' 'Yes' campaign was very well funded, Better Together won the referendum vote by more than 10 per cent, prompting Alex Salmond's resignation as the SNP leader and Scottish first minister. 'Steeped in Conservative Party politics' Lord McInnes was also responsible for the backing he gave Ruth Davidson, as Scottish Conservative leader, in her successful bid to revitalise the largely moribund Tory party north of the border. Under her leadership, it became the official opposition to the SNP in the Scottish Parliament and doubled its number of MPs at Westminster. A former Tory councillor on Edinburgh city council, Lord McInnes is 'steeped in Conservative Party politics' and was said to have always kept his head when 'others around him are losing theirs'. The challenge is formidable. Even his allies believe that there is 'a paucity of talent' within Conservative ranks, but they also reckon that Lord McInnes is at least a 'grown-up and well respected politician'. It's clear that his main task on assuming office will be to prepare the party to take the fight to Reform UK, whose leader, Nigel Farage, aims to replace the Conservatives at every level of government. The latest opinion polls suggest Reform will hammer both Labour and the Tories at the next general election. But in that task, he at least knows what it's like to have the odds so heavily stacked against him. For most of his senior political life he has been up against an at times rampant SNP. It's true that the number of Tory MPs has slumped to five, but it is still the principal opposition party to the SNP in the Scottish Parliament. And while a long time backroom boy who seldom likes to see himself quoted in newspaper columns or seen on television programmes, and who has never engaged himself in personality politics, he's very aware of the strengths and weaknesses of those who do. Throughout almost the entirety of his time in the higher reaches of political life, he pitted himself and his beliefs against Salmond, whose nickname might have been Wee Eck, but who was also a great showman and no slouch when it came to a love of political stardom. In that, I'm sure that Lord McInnes will see a clear resemblance, as others do (including yours truly), with Nigel Farage. But just as he played a major part in the defeat of Salmond, so there will be hopes in Tory circles that he can do the same with Reform. Assiduous in studying results of research But in that mammoth task, he'll leave the personality game to Mrs Badenoch and her front bench team. There will be no histrionics. Instead, his many admirers tell of a politician whose every action and reaction will be evidence-based. He is assiduous in studying the results of research, surveys and opinion polls, and with opponents what he's looking for is the holes in their armour. In truth he has one helluva job to do, with a massively depleted party – depleted at every level, disastrously so in local councils, from whence normally springs a party's strength nationwide. As one admirer who accepts the onerous nature of his task commented: 'He's like the captain of the Titanic taking the helm after his ship has struck the iceberg.' But what there hasn't been is any doubt is Mrs Badenoch's appointment of this quiet man from Ayrshire. She's devoted a great deal of time and energy in her selection – she personally headhunted him.
