McArthur responds to public letter by chief medical officers

Responding to the public letter signed by the chief medical officers for the four UK nations and published by the Department of Health and Social Care on Wednesday, as Kim Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill was introduced in the House of Commons, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur said:

“I’d like to thank the chief medical officers for their contribution to this debate.

“I agree with them that the provision of good end-of-life care must not be undermined at any stage, and that healthcare staff should be able to decide whether to take part in providing assisted dying.

“That’s why my bill puts in place safeguards to ensure that no one is compelled to take part in the assisted dying process against their will.

“I am also clear that assisted dying should not be seen as an alternative to excellent palliative care. It is about providing a choice for those for whom palliative care is no longer enough.

“The recent report from the House of Commons’ Health and Social committee noted that in the evidence they received they “did not see any indications of palliative and end-of-life care deteriorating in quality or provision following the introduction of [assisted dying]; indeed the introduction of [assisted dying] has been linked with an improvement in palliative care in several jurisdictions.”