On January 21 MSP Margo McDonald finally tabled her long expected Bill to allow doctors to end the life of terminally-ill patients. This bill – signed by 21 MSP’s from all four Scottish parties – is now cleared to be formally adopted for investigation by the health and sports committee, leading to a first vote by the Scottish Parliament this autumn. A special Committee is to investigate the issue thoroughly. Severin Carrel, Scottish correspondent for the guardian.co.uk published an article that can be read here.
A peculiar comment on this succes (an earlier attempt to table a bill at Hollyrood on assisted suicide by MSP Jeremy Purvis failed to even get to the first stage) came from an unexpected side: UK’s Dignity in Dying Treasurer Edward Turner voiced his ambiguity and fears in an article on Timesonline.co.uk for “suicide tourisme” to Scotland. His main concern is the inclusion by McDonald of people who had been physically incapacitated and find their life intolerable.