On Tuesday 17th March the Scottish parliament voted by 69 to 57 votes to reject assisted suicide. With no party whip applied each and every MSP voted according to their own conscience.
I am very grateful to constituents and campaigners, both those for and against the proposed legislation, who have shared their views on Assisted Dying, often disclosing deeply personal experience and solemnly held beliefs on the topic. It is never possible to please everyone but on this matter in particular I am acutely aware how disappointed those with a different view to mine will feel. I would also reflect that the details of the bill have not been widely understood meaning that some of the aims constituents hoped it would bring would simply not have been delivered.
I take very seriously my obligation as a Member of the Scottish Parliament when voting on something of such profound importance. I want constituents to know, I have given this matter lots of careful consideration. I have met with the Member in Charge of the bill, campaigners and constituents who favour the bill, attended events and read all I can. I have to the best of my ability explored fully the implications of this change in the law and importantly tested my own views before arriving on a settled position.
The testimony of those seeking a change to the law was deeply moving and encouraged me to challenge my own initial opinions on the matter. I endeavoured to keep an open and enquiring mind and appreciated hearing from individuals and organisations with different perspectives.
Like other MSPs, my own lived experience, predominantly my current health situation also impacted my understanding and feelings on the matter. I have given the issue a lot of thought and consideration over the last few years.
The bill was extensively debated at stage 3, you can see my contributions on my YouTube channel and read the official report of the 4 debate sessions on the Scottish Parliaments website. The full debates can also be viewed on parliament tv.
As you may know I voted against the general principles of the bill at stage 1. The concerns I had about the risks to vulnerable people, the dangers of coercion, and the challenges in ensuring genuine informed consent along with the impact of such legislation on the lives of disabled citizens were not alleviated by the amendments that were agreed at stage 3. Finances for Assisted dying would have been required to be found from existing budgets, I could not see what Health and Social care would be stopped to fund this and further to that found the thought that we would have state funded dying whilst Hospices require to rely so heavily on charity unacceptable.
As a result, I could not, in good conscience support the Assisted Dying legislation and cast my vote against the Bill.
I received hundreds of emails on the topic, views were mixed. I understand that some will be delighted with the result and others dismayed.
I hope that in setting out my approach, whether I arrived at the same conclusion as you or not, you will be assured that I approached this matter with the care and consideration it required.
Ruth Maguire
Ruth Maguire MSP (SNP) 