Margo's Bill 'will cause 1000 deaths'

PLANS to legalise assisted suicide could result in up to 1000 deaths a year in Scotland, an MSP has claimed.

Scottish Nationalist Michael Matheson argued that Margo MacDonald's End of Life Assistance Bill was similar to legislation in the Netherlands and said calculations based on Dutch figures suggested the number of people making use of the new law would be far higher than the 55 which the independent Lothians MSP had predicted.

Ms MacDonald based her forecast on the experience of the US state of Oregon.

But Mr Matheson told her: "Your legislation is much closer in parallel to Dutch legislation.

"And using the very same methodology that you've used to calculate the figures, the number of people who may exercise their rights under this legislation, if enacted, is closer to 1000 rather than 55."

But this was rejected by Ms MacDonald, who pointed to recent improvements in palliative care which helps ease the suffering of people who are terminally ill.

"I don't think you can make that leap of judgment or estimate," she said.