Friends at the End

The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill has entered Stage 1 in the Scottish Parliament. Here's what you need to know: What does the Bill say? The Bill will enable mentally competent adults, who are terminally ill, to be provided with assistance to end their life, at their request. A person is terminally ill if they have an advanced and progressive disease, illness or condition from which they are unable to recover, and that can reasonably be expected to cause their premature death. This Bill specifically does not allow assisted dying for persons with any illness, condition, or disability, either physical or mental, other than terminal illness. Who will be eligible for an assisted death? The eligibility criteria set out in the Bill are: - The person has an advanced terminal illness; - They have suitable capacity to request an assisted death; - They are seeking an assisted death voluntarily and have not been coerced or pressured by any other person into making a request, and; - That they have been ordinarily resident in Scotland for at least 12 months and are registered with a Scottish medical practice. What safeguards are in place? This Bill specifically does not allow assisted dying for persons with any illness, condition, or disability, either physical or mental, other than terminal illness. The people who can access an assisted death are already going to die. Two independent medical practitioners will need to independently confirm the person applying for an assisted death has an advanced terminal illness, is capable of making an informed decision and is not being pressured or coerced into applying for an assisted death. The medical practitioners will have to refer the person applying on for specialist assessment if they have doubts on any of these points. The medical practitioners will have to explain alternative options to the person applying, such as other treatments or palliative care. If the request is approved, a 14-day waiting period starts, after which the person needs to make their second request for an assisted death. The waiting period can be shortened if the person’s death is imminent. Once all the conditions are satisfied, the medical practitioner or another authorised health professional may provide the person with the approved substance to end their life. They remain with the person until they have died. The person can change their mind at any stage of the process.  If the life-ending substance is not used, it is removed from the premises. No individual medical or healthcare practitioner will be compelled to participate in the assisted dying process. The Bill makes it a criminal offence to coerce someone into an assisted death. Want to know more: https://lnkd.in/eJGpN63i

Revealed: ‘Grassroots’ campaigns opposed to assisted dying financed by conservative Christian pressure groups Whilst religious groups may legitimately oppose assisted dying, these groups conceal their ties to organised religion, and falsely claim support from healthcare professionals. https://lnkd.in/ebvfMeFk

Join us online or in-person for this free event on Thursday 21 Nov: Register to join online - https://lnkd.in/eJRaD7nP.. Register to join in-person - https://lnkd.in/eDbJsY4t

How and why is the Scottish Assisted Dying Bill different to the Westminster Bill? Join us next week to find out.

Assisted Dying for Scotland - Next Steps - featuring MSP Liam McArthur *FREE EVENT* What will the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill mean for Scotland and for healthcare professionals? Join us for this free event to hear from the MSP Liam McArthur who lodged the Bill, and from healthcare professionals and researchers on the impact for the profession. When: Thursday, November 21 · 1 - 3pm GMT Where: Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EL Registration: https://lnkd.in/eDbJsY4t Join us at Augustine United Church for an engaging information and discussion session featuring Liam McArthur MSP, who will provide an update on his Member's Bill currently progressing through the Scottish Parliament. Liam will be joined by distinguished Scottish and international speakers who will share insights on the movement to reform assisted dying laws in both Scotland and Ireland, highlighting lessons from each campaign. Speakers Liam McArthur MSP Liam has represented Orkney in the Scottish Parliament since 2007 and currently serves as one of two Deputy Presiding Officers at Holyrood. A long-time advocate for the right to choose the time and manner of one’s death, Liam has supported prior efforts to change Scotland’s assisted dying laws in 2010 and 2015. Earlier this year, he introduced a new Member’s Bill to legalise assisted dying for mentally competent, terminally ill adults in Scotland. Corrinna Moore Corrinna is the Research Ethics and Integrity Officer at Trinity College Dublin. In 2021, she completed a six-month qualitative research study titled "Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD): The General Practitioner’s View," supervised by Dr. Louise Campbell. This groundbreaking study is the first of its kind in Ireland and is currently under peer review for publication in the Medical Law Review. Dr. Brendan O'Shea, MD, FRCGP Dr. O'Shea is a GP and Occupational Medicine Physician at The Bridge Medical Centre in Newbridge, Ireland, and an Assistant Adjunct Professor at Trinity College Dublin. With over 30 years of experience, he has contributed to the training of doctors at all levels. A member of Irish Doctors Supporting Medical Assistance in Dying (IDsMAiD), he currently serves on the Council at the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) and is Medical Director at K Doc. Dr. Gillian MacDougall Dr. MacDougall, a former ENT consultant with NHS Lothian (2001–2024), is a dedicated advocate for end-of-life choices, particularly regarding "Do Not Attempt Resuscitation" (DNAR) decisions. Her background includes extensive experience with head and neck cancer patients and those with significant voice or swallowing difficulties. A long-time supporter of assisted dying reform, she has actively contributed to campaigns since 2010. Although recently retired, Dr. MacDougall has stated her readiness to reinstate her license to practice if assisted dying becomes legal, offering her support in assessment and care.

Scotland took a step closer to compassionate end-of-life choice last week when MSP Liam McArthur published the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill. Here's everything you need to know:

Report launched TODAY shows inequity of access to assisted dying at Dignitas in Switzerland. The report shows a breakdown of where people live before travelling to Switzerland to access an assisted death at Dignitas. The report highlights disparities in opportunity to access an assisted death based on geography, with people from higher income local authorities and people from places with good travel connections, being more likely to travel to Dignitas. With an average cost of £15,000 for an individual to access an assisted death, it is unsurprising that these inequities exist. Nathan Stilwell, Secretariat for the Assisted Dying Coalition, said: ‘This report clearly shows that the UK’s assisted dying law is broken, brutal and barbaric. We must stop exporting compassion to Switzerland and give choice, freedom and dignity to the people in this country who are suffering. Having a postcode lottery to end suffering, and an unequal system, where only the rich and physically able can take advantage, is absolutely wrong. 31 jurisdictions around the world, accessible to nearly 400 million people, prove that compassionate options are available. Adults of sound mind, who are intolerably suffering from a physical, incurable condition deserve the freedom and right to have a dignified end-of-life choice on their own terms.’ https://lnkd.in/eqEYQaxH