Dear Constituent,
Thank you for contacting me about assisted dying in Scotland.
I appreciate your concern on this very sensitive issue. Coping with terminal illness is of course hugely distressing and difficult, both for the patient and their families. These cases are truly moving and evoke the highest degree of compassion and emotion. Should the law in this area ever be altered, I believe it is neither a matter for government to decide nor a matter for the judiciary, but ultimately a matter for the Scottish Parliament and individual MSPs in a free vote.
You may be aware that the original End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill was defeated at Stage 1 in the Scottish Parliament in 2010, and Margot MacDonald’s Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill was also defeated in 2015.
Thank you again for taking the time to write to me.
Kind regards, Alister