SCOTTISH lawmakers on Tuesday rejected a bill that sought to legalise assisted dying. The move comes as a similar proposal in England and Wales remains stalled in Westminster's upper chamber.
After more than two hours of debate, lawmakers voted against the bill by 69 votes to 57.
The proposed law would have allowed people in Scotland with a terminal illness and a life expectancy of six months or less to seek help to end their life, if it had been approved by parliament and the British government.
Liam McArthur, the Liberal Democrat assembly member who introduced the bill, had urged colleagues to support it at the start of the debate, asking them to consider "the voices of dying Scots".
"All we do by putting off changing the law is push decisions overseas and behind closed doors," he said. "The issue won't go away."
Before the vote, the result was seen as too close to call, with parties allowing individual lawmakers to decide.
Emotional debate
The bill had been debated for a year and amended several times.
Supporters said it would allow people dignity and compassion at the end of life. Opponents said disabled and vulnerable people, including the elderly, could be pressured into ending their lives and raised concerns about its impact on end-of-life care.
"Doctors, psychiatrists, pharmacists and palliative care specialists – the people who would be tasked with implementing this – are asking us not to do it," Scotland's Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said ahead of the vote.
Lawmakers spoke about family members who had suffered from incurable diseases, and patients also gave testimony.
Under the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, patients would have been eligible if they were "reasonably expected" to die within six months.
They would have required confirmation from two doctors that they were terminally ill and had the mental capacity to request assistance.
They would have had to administer the substance themselves and be a resident in Scotland for at least 12 months.
"My conscience tells me this: a society that leaves someone with a terminal diagnosis believing that their only options are to either endure intolerable suffering or end their life prematurely is a society that has failed them," said Humza Yousaf, an SNP member of the Scottish parliament and former first minister who opposed the bill.
"I refuse to accept that these are the only two choices available," he added.
Douglas Alexander, the UK government's spokesman on Scottish issues, had reportedly indicated that the administration would not have blocked the legislation if it had been passed by the Scottish parliament.
A separate proposal to legalise euthanasia in England and Wales, approved by MPs last year, appears set to fail after stalling in the House of Lords.
Lawmakers in Jersey and the Isle of Man have already approved assisted dying legislation, but the measures are awaiting royal assent.
(With inputs from agencies)
