Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has said that the assisted suicide bill discriminates against vulnerable people with disabilities.
During First Minister’s Questions, he said it poses a risk to the human rights of disabled people.
The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill allows Scottish residents with a terminal illness to get help from a medical professional to kill themselves.
Swinney was told by MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy that the bill is not compatible with the The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), citing legal advice from Tom Cross KC for The Christian Institute.
According to Cross, the bill fails to safeguard those with “disabilities where suicidal ideation is more likely".
Swinney explained that the Scottish Government had taken “a neutral stance” on the bill, but that he personally did not support the bill.
In response, The Christian Institute’s Deputy Director Simon Calvert said the new legal advice should “set alarm bells ringing", as he urged the government to scrap “this dangerous and discriminatory bill".
The bill was introduced in March 2024 and was approved at stage one by 70 votes to 56. There are two more phases of scrutiny before it could become law.
