Scottish Labour and Scottish Co operative Party candidate for Orkney Mike Macleod has said he would vote against Scotland’s proposed Assisted Dying Bill if elected to the Scottish Parliament.
Mr Macleod made his position clear while discussing the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Scotland Bill brought forward by Orkney MSP Liam McArthur.
The bill proposes allowing terminally ill adults in Scotland the option of assisted dying under strict legal safeguards.
The issue has sparked significant debate across Scotland as parliament considers the ethical, medical and legal implications of the legislation.
Mr Macleod said he recognised the work carried out by Liam McArthur in bringing the bill forward.
“Liam McArthur seems to be a genuinely nice guy and by all accounts is a good constituency MSP.
“The massive amount of work he has done to get the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Scotland Bill this far should be acknowledged.
“Everything Liam has done will have been done with the best of intentions.
“However the road to a certain place is always paved with good intentions.
Mr Macleod previously raised concerns about the proposed law during a public meeting in Kirkwall in November.
He said he worried that elderly people could potentially be pressured into ending their lives by others.
Since then he says developments in Canada have reinforced his concerns.
Canada legalised Medical Assistance in Dying in 2016 for patients whose death was considered reasonably foreseeable.
In 2021 the policy was expanded to include people living with chronic and debilitating conditions even if they were not terminally ill.
Statistics show that in 2024 a total of 16,499 Canadians died using the MAID system which represented 5.1 per cent of deaths recorded that year.
Mr Macleod said the figures raised questions about how such legislation might evolve over time.
He also raised concerns about the way provisions relating to medical professionals would be handled under the proposed Scottish legislation.
“The current proposal seems to be that the Bill will pass without discussion of provisions for medical professionals regarding conscientious objection and the right not to participate.
“These are to be added later by a Section 104 Order.
“Naturally medical professionals are concerned that this may lead to inadequate parliamentary scrutiny resulting in bad legislation.
“It would be better if these provisions could be debated properly upfront.”
He said the wider ethical implications of assisted dying legislation should be carefully considered.
“If the Assisted Dying Bill passes then we are potentially opening Pandora’s Box in terms of the way we treat our elderly the infirm and those with mental health conditions.
“Inevitably it will change the relationship between doctor and patient.
“Given the need for the NHS to save money the worry is that little by little attitudes will change so that medical professionals will come under insidious pressure to offer termination to high cost patients.
“Once we allow the Government to kill individuals we can have no certainty of where it will end.
“We should instead focus on improving home and palliative care.”
The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Scotland Bill continues to be debated as MSPs consider its implications for patients, families and medical professionals.
