I have huge respect for Liz Carr as an actor, as a campaigner for disability rights, and as a person who has refused to let her disability stand in the way of a successful career and life (‘I’m fighting for the right to live’: Liz Carr on acting, friendship and her campaign against assisted dying, 14 May). I agree with her that disability alone should be no reason to have an assisted suicide. Absolutely not.
But this is not what Liam McArthur’s assisted dying bill that is before the Scottish parliament is about. It is very strictly confined to terminally ill adults who are of sound mind and who want help to accelerate their own imminent death and suffering. This proposal is far removed from the controversial Canadian model, which Ms Carr and many others cite as evidence against assisted dying.
Indeed, in Scotland we have learned from that model – to ensure that our legislation will be much tighter, more limited, more secure and prospectively audited by Public Health Scotland.
Charles Warlow
Emeritus professor of medical neurology, University of Edinburgh
• Liz Carr’s interview with Anna Moore, and her documentary Better Off Dead?, powerfully articulate her fears around legalising assisted dying. Although those fears are shared by some others, they don’t represent every disabled person. Studies suggest that disabled people favour legalising assisted dying in at least the same proportion as the wider population.
Treating people’s fears about assisted dying with respect means evaluating whether they are supported by evidence. The bill currently before the Scottish parliament applies only to people with terminal illness. Disability is not a qualifying condition, and the bill opposes the idea that disability makes life not worth living. Assisted dying laws focused solely on terminal illness preclude mission creep, avoiding the concerns generated by laws that focus instead on alleviating suffering.
Moreover, research shows that assisted dying laws focused on terminal illness – such as the law that has been in effect for almost 30 years in Oregon, US – do not harm people with disabilities, do not show disrespect for people with disabilities and do not undermine healthcare (including palliative care) for people with disabilities.
Prof Ben Colburn
On behalf of the Philosophers’ Consortium on Assisted Dying in Scotland
