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| Headlines from EuthaNEWSia, the free news advisory service covering end-of-life issues such as euthanasia, right-to-die, assisted suicide, and self-deliverance. |
| The Proposed End of Life Choices (Scotland) Bill Consultation Document |
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| Monday, 15 December 2008 00:00 |
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The Proposed End of Life Choices (Scotland) Bill Consultation Document Margo MacDonald MSP has launched her consultation document for her proposed Bill. The proposal that persons who wish to decide when to end their lives should be able to do so, legally, with the assistance of a registered physician has come about because of the experiences of people with degenerative conditions, terminal illnesses and those who become entirely dependent on others following a trauma. The purpose of the proposed bill is to clarify the laws in Scotland relating to the assistance given to end the life of a person requesting such help before death would occur naturally. At present, neither statute nor case law clarify the circumstances in which it would be legal to provide assistance on the request of someone wishing to end his or her life. The bill would propose that, on the request of the patient, and conditional on legal requirements being adhered to, a physician assisting a “patient” to die will not be guilty of an illegal act. A patient’s right to end of life choices is based on the principle of autonomy, that a person has the right to determine the quality of his or her own life and its value, unrestricted by the moral, cultural, religious, or personal beliefs of others. Margo's Consultation Document asks many questions on the Bill, the answers to which will help inform the wording of the final Bill. |