Assisted Suicide Bill Published to Scottish Parliament

**sharrie** · Jan 24, 2010 03:16 PM

A Scottish Member of Parliament has proposed an assisted suicide bill to the Scottish parliament,

A bill aiming to give terminally ill people the right to die has been published at the Scottish Parliament.
MSP Margo MacDonald, who has Parkinson's disease, brought the bill to make it legal for someone to seek help to end their life.
It is not illegal to attempt suicide in Scotland but helping someone take their own life could lead to prosecution.
The MSP wants terminally ill people to be able to ask willing doctors to help them die at a time of their choosing.
The independent Lothian MSP's End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill would allow people whose lives become intolerable through a progressive degenerative condition, a trauma or terminal illness to seek a doctor's help in dying.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8471553.stm

*SuesquatchRN* · Jan 24, 2010, 03:19 PM

Dementia and Parkinson's both run in my family. I would like an exit option.

**sharrie** · Jan 24, 2010, 03:27 PM

It is a very interesting read, and I know it has been quite hotly debated here before. Not sure how I feel about it, I would hope that should I ever be in the position of having a disease that makes living itself unbearable there would be a compassionate way of dealing with this, but am not sure that assisted suicide is the answer but then I am not in that position and it's so difficult to speculate how you would actually feel. It is the answer for some though, and the fact that when they are in such a vulnerable and distressed state there is the risk that loved ones they leave behind will be prosecuted for helping

I'm undecided

*SuesquatchRN* · Jan 24, 2010, 03:35 PM

The interesting thing that has happened here, in the few states that have legalized it, is that people get the option and then don't use it. I think that knowing that they are in control and can opt out at their discretion quells the fear.

*Kolohe99* · Jan 24, 2010, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by SuesquatchRN

The interesting thing that has happened here, in the few states that have legalized it, is that people get the option and then don't use it. I think that knowing that they are in control and can opt out at their discretion quells the fear.

I think you are correct in that assumption. Summary of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act.

In Oregon only 60 people took advantage of the law in 2008; but it may have given hundreds more the courage to face their fears just knowing that they had the option.

Assisted Suicide Bill Published to Scottish Parliament

Assisted Suicide Bill Published to Scottish Parliament

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