Anas Sarwar 'yet to be convinced' of case for assisted dying law in Scotland
dailyrecord.co.ukAnas Sarwar has said he is "yet to be convinced" of the case for a radical change in the law which would allow terminally-ill Scots to request medical assistance to end their lives.The Scottish Labour leader told the Record he was "not currently minded" to support the Assisted Dying Bill when it is put to a vote at Holyrood.The legislation will be published on Thursday by Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur and will be voted on at the Scottish Parliament at a later date.Two previous attempts to change the law on the issue were decisively defeated at Holyrood but McArthur believes the political mood had changed.MSPs are expected to be given a free vote on the Bill - meaning their parties will not instruct them on whether to support or oppose the legislation.McArthur's proposals would require diagnosis of a terminal illness by two separate doctors and a 14-day cooling off period after which a medical substance could be supplied, to be self-administered.Sarwar said the Lib Dem deserved credit for the way he attempted to find cross-party support for the legislation."I've followed Liam McArthur's bill very closely," he said. "I think he's coming at this with good intentions.
He's genuinely trying to build a consensus across as many parliamentarians as he can."I'm yet to be convinced this is the right approach.
I'm struck by my colleague Pam Duncan-Glancy, the first MSP to be a permanent wheelchair user, who argues we actually need to give people a right to live, not just the right to die."For many people across the country, particularly those with disabilities, they don't feel they have that right to live."Sarwar added: "It will be a free vote, it will be a conscience vote, but I'm not currently minded to support it."I'll follow the
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