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MSPs are to begin scrutinising almost 300 proposed amendments to landmark assisted dying legislation. Key amendments under consideration include raising the minimum age from 16 to 18 and clarifying the definition of terminal illness. The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill would give people with a terminal illness the option of requesting an assisted death. The proposal by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur passed an initial vote in Holyrood in May, and will now begin its second of three parliamentary stages. Opponents argue the legislation is deeply flawed and no amount of safeguards can protect the most vulnerable. Experts have also said the entire Bill may be beyond Holyrood's powers, requiring the consent of Westminster and the House of Lords. The Scottish Parliament's Health Committee has set aside four meetings to vote on 287 proposed amendments to the legislation, including some tabled by Mr McArthur himself following feedback from MSPs and experts. He said: “This Bill has been a long time coming but, at long last, it offers a chance to provide the compassionate choice that a small number of terminally ill Scots desperately need. "Now that parliament has approved the general principles of my Bill as well as the government’s financial resolution, the focus rightly shifts to how we might strengthen the Bill. “The amendments that I am putting forward take on board the views of experts who will have a role in the delivery of extending the choice of assisted dying to terminally ill patients. They also address points that the parliament's Health Committee wished to see clarified at this stage in the process. "Each amendment I have submitted underpins the Bill's driving principles of safety, compassion and choice. They balance the need for dying people to be able to access the option of assisted dying with strong protections and safeguards. They increase transparency around end-of-life care and decision making. They ensure that the decision of whether or not to participate in the process is firmly in the hands of individual medics by shifting from an opt out to an opt in system. "Over the coming weeks, I look forward to working with colleagues on the Health Committee and others who have lodged amendments as we seek to ensure that we deliver the right law here in Scotland, drawing on the experience of what we see working safely and successfully in practice in states and countries around the world.” Gordon Macdonald, of the campaign group Care Not Killing, said: “Serious questions remain about the safety of this legislation and It is abundantly clear that no number of amendments can make this deeply-flawed Bill safe.” He added: “The volume of amendments reflects deep-rooted and genuinely held concerns about this Bill and its risks for Scotland’s most vulnerable. No safeguards can fully protect the vulnerable. “MSPs from all parties are raising the alarm. The broad range of amendments covering every part of this Bill demonstrates just how deeply flawed it is. “This committee stage is a crucial chance to examine the real consequences of assisted suicide before it were to become law.” Dr Miro Griffiths, spokesman for the Better Way campaign group, also spoke out against the proposed legislation, branding it a “regressive and dangerous idea”.
