Scotland’s looser rules on assisted dying could lead to ‘death tourism’, say senior politicians | Assisted dying
Senior Scottish politicians fear terminally ill people traveling to Scotland from other parts of the UK could pose a risk of “death tourism”.
A cross-party group of MSPs, including deputy first minister Kate Forbes, said looser controls on eligibility written into the assisted dying bill for Scotland could attract people unhappy with the tougher rules planned for England and Wales.
The Scottish bill, whose final vote is expected in February, has no time limit on who can apply for assisted dying, but they must have lived in Scotland for at least a year and have “an advanced and progressive disease, illness or condition from which they are unable to recover”.
Policies for England and Wales, which are being considered in the House of Lords, stipulate that it must be within six months of someone’s death. If Kim Leadbeater’s bill is passed, it could take up to four years to be implemented, while Scotland’s measures could come into force several years earlier.
Concerns about “death tourism” have been raised by medical ethicist Dr. at the University of Hertfordshire law school. Voiced by Claudia Carr. He said some terminally ill patients could lead to Scotland “having a more positive climate for assisted dying and acting accordingly”.
Scottish Conservative MSP Edward Mountain, who recently revealed his bowel cancer diagnosis, said if Scotland’s bill became law there would be a “real risk” some terminally ill patients would travel there rather than comply with stricter rules in England and Wales.
He said: “There’s always a chance for people to see Scotland, if this bill passes, which I hope I should say right away, it’s an easier place to end your life than down south.”
Michael Marra, a leading Scottish Labor figure and another critic of the Holyrood bill, said the bill would be strongly opposed when it reached the final vote, largely because attempts to tighten it had been rejected by MSPs who scrutinized it.
He said these cross-border issues were “hugely under-researched” by both parliaments and the UK and Scottish governments. “How the two systems might interact is a very complex issue,” Marra said.
Forbes, a member of the socially conservative Free Church of Scotland, said speaking personally, he was concerned that broader definitions and a lack of time limits could lead some people to unnecessarily choose assisted death.
He said: “People who are potentially viable may choose to choose assisted death due to other factors unrelated to their terminal illness, such as poor mental health etc.”
These concerns were downplayed by Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, who tabled the Holyrood bill. The financial, personal and medical challenges of moving countries while terminally ill will be real and significant, he said.
He said: “In practice, it seems unlikely that a terminally ill person would want to go through the distress of being away from home, family, friends and medical support at this point in their life. Making such a decision would be even more problematic given that the progression of a terminal condition is rarely linear.”
McArthur added: “Ultimately, both my bill and the legislation passing the UK parliament are based on best practice from around the world, but there are different elements in the Scottish legal and health systems, so it is right for MSPs to consider which approach is most appropriate here in Scotland.”
