Wendy Chamberlain: I'm conflicted on assisted dying bills

The deputy leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats has said she is “conflicted” about moves to legalise assisted dying.

Separate proposals have been brought forward to change the law in the Scottish and UK parliaments. Labour’s Kim Leadbeater will use her Private Members’ Bill to tackle the matter at Westminster, with Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur behind the Holyrood bid.

Recent polling by Ipsos suggests the public is generally supportive of a change in the law, with 66 per cent agreeing that it should be legal for a doctor to prescribe life-ending medication to a patient aged 18 or over, providing certain conditions are met.

A public consultation related to McArthur’s bill drew more than 14,000 responses, three quarters of which were supportive of the draft proposals.

However, Wendy Chamberlain MP has said she is “conflicted” about the matter and said “broad brushstroke” discussion on the matter could mean fine details around safeguarding are missed.

In an exclusive interview with Holyrood magazine, Chamberlain, who represents North East Fife, said she is supportive of debate about the matter.

She said: “I feel quite conflicted about it.

“My general view is to be supportive, but I think it’s very easy to talk about this area in general terms when the detail, the scrutiny of the legislation, is vital. I couldn’t support a bill that didn’t have what I consider the necessary safeguards in place.”

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, assisting a suicide is a crime. Those convicted could face up to 14 years in prison. There is no specific crime of assisting a suicide in Scotland. But it is possible that helping a person to die could lead to prosecution for culpable homicide, a charge which can lead to life imprisonment.

Advocates of the law change say it will ease the suffering of terminally-ill people and their families. However, critics have raised concerns about the ethics and implications of legalisation, particularly for people with disabilities.

Across the world the legal position varies. Assisted dying was legalised in Switzerland in 1942 and has been in place in the Netherlands since 2002. Australia, Canada and New Zealand have also legislated on the matter.

McArthur’s bill would give mentally competent people with a terminal diagnosis the right to end their life, subject to further conditions on residence in Scotland and assessment by doctors. Meanwhile, Leadbeater is expected to reveal further detail of her proposed legislation next month.

While Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he is supportive of legalisation, First Minister John Swinney has said he is “wrestling” with the “very difficult issue”.

Chamberlain said she has been updated by McArthur about his progress. She said: “I think it’s been interesting how more people are saying how they feel. This is amazing, that we should be asking a question on a subject like this. Whether there’s a mood and a shift, it’s right that we are having the discussion. It’s something I get a lot of campaign casework about, usually from those who are supportive.”

Starring Martin Compston, an adaptation of the Andrew O’Hagan novel Mayflies, about a man with terminal cancer who seeks to end his life in Switzerland, was recently broadcast by the BBC. Chamberlain said that was “really good”, but the case portrayed had “less complexity” than many patients’ situations. She said: “Life isn’t black and white like that.

“I understand that public sentiment suggests broadly that the general population are supportive, but one of the reasons we are elected representatives is that we do the heavy lifting on issues like this; we do the legislating and the fine detail and that’s really important.

“Broad brushstroke policy discussion does not properly reflect the complexity.”