'A lot more cautious': Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay's reservations about assisted dying

The Scottish Conservative leader said he had reconsidered his initial position

The leader of the Scottish Conservatives has said he is now “a lot more cautious” about assisted dying following a Westminster debate on the issue.

Russell Findlay said his instinctive position was previously to support a change in the law, but the debate down south had caused him to rethink his views.

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Assisted dying legislation passed its first hurdle at Westminster last year, but still faces months of debate and scrutiny before it can become law in England and Wales. Critics say the Bill has been rushed.

Similar legislation has been introduced in Holyrood by the Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur.

Scottish Conservative leader Russell FindlayScottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay | Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Asked about the issue by The Scotsman, Mr Findlay said: "I've gone into this with my eyes wide open. Our party will allow a free vote [in the Scottish Parliament] as a matter of conscience.

"I think the debate that took place in the House of Commons was very enlightening, perhaps for all the wrong reasons, not least due to the shorter timescale in which it took place.

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"But that has actually made me a lot more cautious than my instinctive position, which was that this could be something that would be helpful to people who are suffering greatly at the end of life.

"Unlike what the Scottish Parliament has done before with legislation, this will need proper, robust scrutiny, and as and when that process takes place I'll come to a view."

Campaigners in Parliament Square, London, in favour of the proposed bill to legalise assisted dying.Campaigners in Parliament Square, London, in favour of the proposed bill to legalise assisted dying.
Campaigners in Parliament Square, London, in favour of the proposed bill to legalise assisted dying. | Getty Images

It came as MSPs were warned conscientious objection provisions in Mr McArthur’s legislation could result in those looking to end their lives going “doctor shopping”.

With Holyrood now scrutinising the proposals, its health committee heard how people might switch doctors to try to find a medic who would approve an assisted death for them.

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As it stands, the legislation allows medical professionals who are opposed to the practice to opt out of taking part.

But on the issue of conscientious objection, Stephanie Fraser, the chief executive of Cerebral Palsy Scotland, told MSPs: “I think what would concern us is the doctor shopping.

“You then end up with: ‘If my doctor won’t do this, how do I get to another doctor?'”

She raised concerns about “inequality geographically” if there was an area where few doctors were prepared to help with assisted deaths.

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Marianne Scobie, of the Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living, also said “sometimes people might be doctor shopping in relation to finding a doctor that would classify them as eligible”.

Elsewhere, she argued “legislative creep is an inevitable consequence of legalising assisted dying”, raising fears the eligibility criteria could be widened.

Under the plans put forward by Mr McArthur, people can only request an assisted death if they are aged 16 or over and are suffering from 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”.

But Ms Scobie argued those with terminal illnesses could continue to “live well” with the right support.

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She told MSPs on the health, social care and sport committee: “Many people when they are given a diagnosis, their immediate thought is ‘I don’t want to live any more, I would rather die than go through a terminal illness’.”

But she added: “Actually with the right support in terms of healthcare, mental healthcare and peer support, many people can live with a terminal condition and live well.

“We would be promoting the fact that people should be supported to live well while they are dying, including with a terminal illness. And we are further concerned that the legislation might widen out to include people who are not terminally ill.”

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