Summary-of-written-evidence-submitted-to-the-Scottish-Parliament-Health-and-Sport-Committee-in-response-to-the-AS-Scot-Bill-2015

5 Church and Society Committee of the United Reformed Church's Synod of Scotland...5 Dignitas...5 Dignity in Dying...6 Doctors for Assisted Suicide...6 Friends At The End FATE...6 Humani

Summary of written evidence submitted to the Scottish Parliament Health and Sport Committee in response to the Assisted

Suicide (Scotland) Bill

Executive summary 4

For 5

Church and Society Committee of the United Reformed Church's Synod of Scotland 5

Dignitas 5

Dignity in Dying 6

Doctors for Assisted Suicide 6

Friends At The End (FATE) 6

Humanist Society Scotland 7

My Life, My Death, My Choice 7

Scottish Disability Equality Forum 7

Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance 8

Scottish Unitarian Association 8

World Federation of Right to Die Societies 9

Against 10

Alzheimer Scotland 10

Anscombe Bioethics Centre 10

British Medical Association (BMA) 10

CARE for Scotland 11

Care Not Killing 12

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland 12

Children's Hospice Association 13

Church of Scotland Church and Society Council 13

Crown Terrace Baptist Church 14

Dumfries and Galloway Over 50’s Committee Meeting 14

Dumfries and Galloway Over 50’s Group Meeting 14

Equality and Human Rights Commission 14

Evangelical Alliance 15

The Faith and Order Board of General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church 15

Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches 16

Free Church of Scotland 16

Group of Palliative Care Physicians 16

Highland Hospice 17

Inclusion Scotland 17

Islamic Medical Association 18

Living and Dying Well 18

Muslim Council of Scotland 18

Public Questions, Religion & Morals Committee of the Free Church of Scotland 19

Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland 19

The Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health (RCPCH) 19

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow 20

Scottish Council on Human Bioethics 20

The Scottish Youth Alliance 21

Society for the Protection of Unborn Children 21

St Margaret of Scotland Hospice 22

Strathcarron Hospice 23

Salvation Army Scotland Office 24

Neutral 25

British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) 25

British Psychological Society 25

Community Pharmacy Scotland 26

East Dunbartonshire Social Work Group 26

East Lothian Council 27

Faculty of Advocates 28

General Pharmaceutical Council 29

Law Society of Scotland 29

Lord Advocate (Frank Mulholland) 30

Marie Currie 30

The J Kenyon Mason Institute for Medicine, Life Sciences and Law University of Edinburgh 30

NHS Forth Valley 31

North Ayrshire Council 32

Parkinson’s UK 32

Police Scotland 32

The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh 33

The Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland 34

Royal Pharmaceutical Society 34

Scottish Association for Mental Health 34

Scottish Ambulance Service 35

Scottish Council of Jewish Communities 35

Scottish Justices Association 36

Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care 36

Stirling Council 37

Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) 37

Together for Short Lives 38

Executive summary Reponses

In total, 69 groups or organisations are listed as having responded

to the consultation Of these, 11 agreed with the general purpose

of the Bill, 32 disagreed and 26 organisations adopted a neutral

stance or did not comment on the purpose of the Bill

Across all three categories – those for, against and neutral – there

were a wide variety of groups and organisations, including

charities, care providers, local authorities, religious groups and

campaigning organisations

Key issues mentioned

Stance of goups and organisations which responded to consultation

For

Against Neutral

Across all responses there were a number of common observations and suggestions made about theBill These included:

 Concepts such as ‘life-shortening’ need to be defined in the Bill to qualify eligibility and toprevent potential abuse

 Although it is presumed most individuals will commit suicide by ingesting a lethal

barbiturate, there are no restrictions on the method of suicide prescribed by the Bill

 Unclear from the Bill how much assistance can be given by the facilitator

 14 day window in which people have the opportunity to commit suicide may compel somepeople to act before they are ready (to avoid repeating the process)

 A general view that the vulnerable or mentally ill may feel pressured or be coerced into

requesting assisted suicide

 Anyone requesting assistance should automatically undergo psychiatric assessment

 People aged 16 years old are incapable of acting as a facilitator or making an

informed choice to end their life (although no consensus in responses on age limit)

 A general belief that palliative care in Scotland is inadequate and may suffer further if

assisted suicide is legalised

 Concern that legalising assisted suicide will lead to the legalisation of euthanasia

 Guidance on how medication is stored and how excess or unused substances are safely

recovered, either after death or following the expiry of the 14 day period, is not included

in the Bill

 Assisted suicide could damage the relationship between doctor and patient

 A ‘conscience clause’ is needed for professionals wanting to avoid participation

 Guidance on facilitator record keeping and the body which will regulate the process is notincluded in the legislation

 Questions about how much training facilitators will receive

 Questions as to how far the Bill will conform with existing legislation

 Trusts that guidelines on lethal dosages and their storage and shelf life will be given

 Foresees practical problems arising from facilitators having long periods when their

services are not required

o Envisage the process working in an urban environment, but believe some thoughtneeds to be given to its application in rural and island communities

 Wondered if it was envisaged that a facilitator should receive a fee

Dignitas

About: Swiss group which helps those with terminal illnesses and severe physical and mental

illnesses commit suicide They have helped over 1700 people die in suicide clinics in Zurich

Submission contact: Ludwig A Minelli and Silvan Luley

Key points:

 Dignitas feels that having to find two different registered medical practitioners, each

acknowledging the request, would be a unnecessarily strict condition

 Believes that a proposed 14 day waiting period is too long and may result in extended suffering for the patient Believes that the formal request(s) period should be used to explore and suggest alternatives such as changes in medical routine, counselling,

hospice and respite care, etc., without the person having the obligation to consider

these alternatives

 Notes that the term “suicide tourism” is often (mis)used Considers people from abroadcoming to Dignitas not as suicide tourists but “self-determination tourists”

 Recommends a dosage of 15 - 20 grams of Sodium Pentobarbital

 Believes it is necessary to define more closely what role the police will have

Dignity in Dying

About: Dignity in Dying campaigns for terminally ill, mentally competent adults to have the option of

an assisted death subject to strict upfront safeguards

Submission contact: n/a

Key points:

 Welcomes increased restriction to disqualify people with a permanent disability (who are not also terminally ill) to have an assisted death but believes it should be further restricted

to those with a terminal illness and not those with life-shortening conditions

 Welcomes clarification that the process must be a “deliberate act” rather than euthanasia,the removal of the upper time limit of 28 days between the first and second formal requestand the clarification on the extent of "Savings" (Section 24)

 Believes pre-registration before first request is unnecessary

 Believes the time limit between second request and drug consumption should be removed

 Expresses a preference for drugs to be administered by healthcare professional known tothe patient

 Concerned that the requirement that the person considers their quality of life to be

“unacceptable” is open to subjective interpretation

 Believes eligibility should be restricted to 18+, rather than 16+

 Believes that a conscience clause should be added in

Doctors for Assisted Suicide

About: DAS are a group of practicing and retired doctors in Scotland from multiple disciplines who

support the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill which is currently being considered by the Scottish Parliament

Submission contact: n/a

Key points:

 Notes that requests from teenagers where assisted suicide is available are very rare

 Believe that more clarity is required about what the facilitator is and is not allowed to do

 Believes the Bill should include a statement that, if there is any doubt about capacity, the opinion of a consultant psychiatrist should be sought

Friends At The End (FATE)

About: Friends at the End is a members' democratic society, dedicated to promoting knowledge

about end-of-life choices and dignified death

Submission contact: n/a

Key points:

 Notes that the difference that is drawn between the terms "illness" and "condition" is confusing Making it clear that a diagnosis per se would not allow an individual to proceed

to Stages 2 and 3 is laudable, but the use of the terms is not helpful

 Notes that a liquid barbiturate is likely to be the preferred agent

 Believes that it would be useful to keep and publish a statistical account of the process Amongst other items, this could include a record of the numbers of individuals obtaining

a prescription and the numbers who ultimately consumed the drug Facilitators could be responsible for gathering this information

Humanist Society Scotland

About: Humanist Society Scotland (HSS) is part of a UK, European and wider international movement

of people and organisations

Submission contact: n/a

Key points:

 Believes that terms like ‘life-shortening’, which may have arisen from disagreements

amongst doctors advising those who were drafting the Bill, are confusing While the aim in the Memorandum " to capture those diagnoses which involve an on-going deterioration inthe person's ability to live a normal life " is laudable, this section of the Bill should be reworded

 Important to keep and publish a statistical account of the process

My Life, My Death, My Choice

About: My Life, My Death, My Choice is an independent campaign supported by the

Humanist Society Scotland, Friends At The End (FATE) and the Scottish Secular Society

Submission contact: n/a

Key points:

 Notes that the Bill for assisted suicide, not euthanasia

 Believes that the Bill will complement existing palliative care, not undermine it

 States that the Bill is improvement on predecessor

Scottish Disability Equality Forum

About: Scottish Disability Equality Forum (SDEF) works for social inclusion in Scotland through the

removal of barriers to equality and the promotion of independent living for people affected by disability

Submission contact:

Key points:

 SDEF, alongside their members, agree with the general principal to make the Assisted

Suicide (Scotland) Bill legally allowable

 Members feel that those with physical disabilities, where quality of life is affected, shouldalso be included in the Bill

 Believes the police should have a clearly defined role, however should not be

directly involved with the procedure

 Notes that the majority of their members feel that a mental health assessment could beundertaken, where an assessment would give the opportunity to prove capacity

 Notes that in remote areas only one GP or pharmacist may be available, which may proveproblematic if they are unwilling to participate

 Believes that 16 years old is too young to be a facilitator and may impact the individual if

involved Membership felt that the age limit for facilitators should be over 25 years old

Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance

About: The Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance (SIAA) promotes, supports and defends the

principles and practice of Independent Advocacy across Scotland

Submission contact: n/a

Key points:

 Believe that anyone considering assisted suicide should be referred to

independent advocacy

 Believe that all professionals who may be involved in assisted suicide should have a duty

to inform people about independent advocacy and the support it can provide

Scottish Unitarian Association

About: The Unitarian congregations in Scotland are each affiliated to the Scottish Unitarian

World Federation of Right to Die Societies

Alzheimer Scotland

About: Alzheimer Scotland is Scotland’s leading dementia voluntary organisation It has a

membership of 6000, including carers, people with dementia, professionals, professional bodies and

a range of voluntary and private agencies

Submission contact: Jim Pearson, Deputy Director of Policy

Anscombe Bioethics Centre

About: The Anscombe Centre, established in 1977, engages with the moral questions arising in

clinical practice and biomedical research Its ethical position and views are based on Catholicism

Submission contact: n/a

o Concerned become a ‘quick fix’ for disposing of the more ‘difficult’ patients

 Believes that it is not helpful to others who are now, or may be in the future, suicidal

themselves for society to endorse any person’s choice to die

 Concerned certifying doctor may be unknown to the patient and chosen simply as one of aminority of doctors prepared to be involved in certifying requests for assisted suicide

British Medical Association (BMA)

About: The British Medical Association (BMA) is an independent trade union and voluntary

professional association representing over 153,000 doctors and medical students working in allbranches of medicine across the UK

Submission contact: Dr Brian Keighley, Chairman of BMA Scotland

Key points:

 Supports the current legal framework, which allows compassionate and ethical care for thedying

 Supports the establishment of a comprehensive, high quality palliative care service available

to all, to enable patients to die with dignity

CARE for Scotland

About: CARE is a UK-wide organisation established to promote Christianity within public policy Submission contact: n/a

Key points:

 Disagrees that a life with disability and a dependence on carers can lack dignity

 Believes scope of the Bill is deeply alarming given “unacceptable quality of life” premiseassessed largely on the subjective judgement of the applicant

 Concerned there is no compulsory psychiatric assessment in place

 Concerned about the inclusion of a time limit within which the act of suicide must take place as may compel people to act

 The Bill suggests that facilitators should remove any unused drugs from the qualifying person as soon as practicable after the expiry of the 14 day period However, concerned that there is no requirement that these drugs, even if obtained, be returned to the

source pharmacy or other safe place

 Noted that there is no clarity in the Bill as to the means by which a person would

be permitted to end his/her life

 Concerned there remains the possibility that a proxy or facilitator may have a personalinterest or some nefarious motivation

 Concerned the involvement of two doctors is an illusionary safeguard which is likely toprovide little protection to ensure that abuses do not occur

 Notes that dependency on alcohol or drugs would not lead to a patient being considered

to lack ‘capacity’ as outlined in the Bill

 Believes there is nothing in the Bill which would prevent suicide tourism

 Notes that while Scottish Parliament has agreed to introduce a ‘Named Person’ to for everyyoung person to up to the age of 18 and aftercare for care leavers up to the age of 25, it could agree that young people aged just 16 can access government-provided assistance to terminate their lives

 Concerned that there is no conscience clause in the Bill

 Concerned there is no requirement in the Bill that there be any form of training or that there be any regulatory system in place to oversee their activities

 Concerned the Bill provides no detail as to what action should be taken by a police officeronce he/she has been informed that an assisted suicide has occurred

 Notes that it is unclear as to who would sign the death certificate if a doctor is not involved

in the administration of the lethal medication

Page | 11

Care Not Killing

About: Care Not Killing is a UK-based alliance of individuals and organisations which brings together

disability and human rights groups, healthcare providers, and faith-based bodies

Submission contact: n/a

Key points:

 Notes loose and relativistic terms such as ‘life-shortening condition’ mean that tens of

thousands of seriously ill and disabled people throughout Scotland would be eligible

 Believes licensing doctors to kill would fundamentally alter the doctor-patient relationship

 Concerned the Bill fails to define the ‘means’ of suicide

 Concerned there are no penalties for contravention and that he ‘savings’ clause protects allerrors and omissions made ‘in good faith’

 Notes that doctors need not know or examine the patient nor is assessment by a

psychiatrist required

 There is no conscience clause for doctors, despite widespread medical opposition to assistedsuicide

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland

About: Body composed of the Bishops of the eight Scottish Catholic Dioceses

Submission contact: n/a

Key points:

 Believes Bill is contrary to European human rights instruments and that a lower age limit than 18 would not be in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

 Concerned also that the Policy Memorandum acknowledges that this legislation is

a stepping-stone to further, more wide-ranging legislation

 Believes it is a retrograde step to remove any involvement of those most qualified

and specially trained i.e psychiatrists and psychologists

 Concerned the removal of the requirement for a continuous 18 months registration with

a medical practice in Scotland increases the likelihood of “suicide tourism”

 Concerned the removal of a second witness to the process can only mean a weakening

 Concerned there is no clear definition given on the means of ending life, including the amount of help a facilitator may give Concerned that broadly termed job description riskslicensing euthanasia in all but name

 Notes that eligible criteria are intrinsically arbitrary and discriminatory

Children's Hospice Association

About: CHAS is the sole provider of children’s hospice services in Scotland, caring for children and

young people with a wide range of life-shortening conditions It provides care for in excess of 370 ofthese children, young people and their families across Scotland

Submission contact: Maria McGill, Chief Executive

Key points:

 Notes for neurodevelopmental reasons, young people up to the age of about 25 years old donot fully associate their own death with permanent erasure from existence

 Believes the phrase 'life-shortening' is unclear because a young person could have a

condition (for example, cystic fibrosis) which will shorten life but could nevertheless

allow them to live for several decades more

 Believes the phrase 'prospect… of improvement' (p5) is unclear

 Concerned capacity to consent is different for a young person, as they may not have

experienced the autonomy of adulthood and may be easily coerced

 Currently, the parents of such young people in Scotland are given de facto rights to consent

on their behalf to medical interventions under the age of 16 years, they need to legally attain this through the Adults with Incapacity Act 2000 (Scotland) for 'their children' in the age range 16-17.9 years Questioned whether parents therefore be able to request

physician-assisted 'suicide' on behalf of such a young person?

 Concerned no indication as to which means of dying are preferable over others and noprovision for training facilitator has been made

Church of Scotland Church and Society Council

About: The Church and Society Council's remit is to engage on behalf of the Church of Scotland in

the national, political and social issues affecting Scotland and the world today

Submission contact: n/a

Key points:

 Believes using very broad terminology such as “life shortening” as a qualifying condition isinsufficiently restrictive

 Concerned there is no requirement for mental health assessment

 Concerned that it is not possible to provide a legal process which can check whether avulnerable person, dependent on the care of others, is acting freely

 Believes assisted suicide may be seen as a cheaper alternative to proper care

 Would like to see addition of conscious clause

 Notes finding whiling doctor in a rural area, for example, may be a problematic

 Concerned about extent of help that can be provided by facilitator and the lack of

restrictions on the means of death

 Concerned maladministration of poison may cause further suffering to individual

 Concerned that poison may be lost, stolen, sold or otherwise misappropriated

Crown Terrace Baptist Church

About: Based in Aberdeen, constituted in 1839.

Submission contact: n/a

Key points:

 Disputes primacy of autonomy of individual choice

 Does not consider it appropriate for people of 16 and 17 to be eligible

 Believes that it should be a requirement for a “supporter”, chosen by the individual, to bepresent

Dumfries and Galloway Over 50’s Committee Meeting

Equality and Human Rights Commission

About: Parliament gave the Commission the mandate to challenge discrimination, and to protect

and promote human rights

Submission contact: Alastair Pringle, National Director, Scotland

Key points:

 Concerned the proposed safeguards in the Bill – requiring that the individual has capacityand is not depressed, that their illness is terminal, and that they have demonstrated a settled intention to end their life – would be difficult tests to operationalise

 In the Commission’s view, any such legislation should not introduce or rely on disputed conceptions of individual autonomy, but would have to show that the proposed

safeguards are sufficient for their intended purposes

Evangelical Alliance

About: Across the UK, Evangelical Alliance membership includes over 700 organisations,

3500 churches and thousands of individuals Also part of the Care Not Killing Alliance.

Submission contact:

Key points:

 Concerned process would place unfair pressure on vulnerable people to end their lives for fear of being a financial, emotional or care burden upon others

The Faith and Order Board of General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church

About: The Faith and Order Board considers questions of Church government, organisation and

relations with the Anglican Communion and other churches

Submission contact: Faith and Order Board

Key points:

 Concerned Bill does not require the presence or assistance of medical staff at the suicide

 Concerned Bill does not stipulate the need for assessment by a psychiatrist

 Believes people may feel under pressure to make requests

 Fears that provision for Assisted Dying will be extended to children

 Believes that the Bill sends out a message that if you have certain conditions then life is notworth living, or that you lack dignity

 Concerned that where assisted dying is made legal, funding for palliative care may be

reduced

 Notes that it is not clear whether the facilitator would need to be present at the actualdeath, nor is it clear how facilitators would be selected, trained and funded

Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches

About: The Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) represents 18

churches throughout Scotland with over 1000 members in total

Submission contact: n/a

Key points:

 Believe that for the State to sanction the taking of life on the basis of its perceived ‘value’ or

‘quality’ would be to fundamentally change the balance of power between citizens and government

 Concerned could extend to children

 Concerned would, over time, create cultural pressure on the most vulnerable in our

society to end their life rather than be a perceived burden on others

Free Church of Scotland

About: The Free Church of Scotland is a Presbyterian and Reformed denomination It currently has

over 100 congregations in Scotland, as well as 2 in London, 5 in North America, and sister churchesfounded by mission work in India, Peru and South Africa

Submission contact: Rev Professor-Emeritus Donald M MacDonald FRCSEd

“life- Objects to 16 year olds being offered assistance to end their lives

 Concerned 14 day limit may encourage people to consume medicine before they are readyfor fear of having to re-start the process

 Believes medical assessment for mental illness such as depression should be mandatory

 Would like to see that addition of a conscience clause

 Believes more information required on death certificate and other record-keeping

 Believes the psychological effects on the facilitators could be deleterious to their well-being

Group of Palliative Care Physicians

About: Palliative Care physicians working in Scottish hospitals and hospices

Submission contact(s): Dr Stephen MW Hutchison, Dr Christopher J Sugden, Dr Deans Buchanan, Dr

Ruth Isherwood, Dr Barry J A Laird, Dr Catriona Ross, Dr Rosemary Conway, Dr David Gray, Dr GillianFoster, Dr Gordon Canning, Dr Sheena E Scragg, Dr Fiona Downs, Dr J Martin Leiper, Dr Kirsty Boyd,

Dr David Jeffrey, Professor Marie Fallon, Dr Lindsay Martin, Dr Jo Bowden

Key points:

 Believes the legalisation of assisted suicide is a societal issue and its implementation shouldnot be dependent on doctors, most of whom do not support assisted suicide

 Concerned 14 day limit could increase that pressure on people to commit suicide

 Concerned non-discriminatory application of the law may lead to those with metal healthissues requesting assisted suicide

 Believes clarification required on which drugs could be used

Highland Hospice

About: Highland Hospice provides specialist palliative care and advice for patients with advanced,

incurable disease and a short life expectancy, regardless of diagnosis

Submission contact: n/a

Key points:

 Believes the experience of high quality care overrides a persistent wish for accelerated death in all but the most exceptional circumstances

 Concerned the Bill has the potential to exacerbate the problem of elder abuse in our

society and a create a societal preference for assisted suicide over palliative care

 Believes clarification needed on the extent of assistance which can be given by facilitators

 Believes clarification needed on “life shortening” definition

 Concerned the Bill itself does not specify the actual means of achieving suicide and does not mention pharmacists

 Concerned future changes to other policy, for example welfare reform, may

encourage people to commit suicide if legalised

 Believes legalisation of assisted suicide may increase stigmatisation of elderly and disabled

 Concerned vague qualification criteria could lead to abuse of the system by those not

originally intended to fall within the Bill’s scope, i.e those with depression

Islamic Medical Association

About: Association for Muslim medical professional

Submission contact: Dr A.Majid Katme(MBBCH,DPM)

Key points:

 Islam teaches that human life is sacred

 Suicide in any form is blasphemy

Living and Dying Well

About: Research body established in 2010 to examine the issue of assisted suicide

Submission contact: Robert Preston, Director

Key points:

 Believes Bill has weaker safeguards than predecessor - removal of the requirement for specialist psychiatric assessment and six-month life expectancy criterion and the creation of

a class of 'licensed facilitators'

 Concerned the Bill's clinical ambit (progressive and terminal or life-shortening illness) sets nolimit of life expectancy

 Concern that those with alcohol or drug dependencies are not ineligible

 Notes that suicidal intent is commonly considered a marker of mental health problems, yet there is no provision that a request for assistance with suicide should be treated similarly

 Believes few doctors would be willing to cooperate with the process, leaving GPs who may have little understanding of the patient to certify their request

 Concerned that the extent to which facilitators can aid a patient remains undefined

 Notes that the Bill makes no provision for acts of assisted suicide to be reported, monitored

or controlled

 Notes that the Bill stipulates that the suicide must be carried out within 14 days of a secondrequest being approved and adding that this provision may provides a perverse incentive toproceed

Muslim Council of Scotland

About: The Muslim Council of Scotland is an accord of Muslim associations, mosques

and institutions in Scotland

Submission contact: n/a

Key points:

 Believes life is the greatest gift from God and to tamper with it or interfere to end it is the most serious sin and an act of ingratitude against the creator

 Concerned the Bill would change the culture surrounding care for sick and vulnerable andwould be a catastrophe in terms of how our society confronts illness and disability,

damaging palliative care

 Concerned that once legalised, the Bill would be a slippery slope as eligibility expands toinclude new groups, such as children

 Notes that the bill would undermine anti-suicide campaigns and could encourage bodied people to commit suicide

able- Concerned that the Bill does not require examination of mental health or provision of

counselling or advice whether from elders, faith leaders, medical personal etc

 Concerned that no regulatory body is outlined in the legislation

 Notes that there is no formal procedure for cancelation

 Believes that the remit of facilitator too vague

 Concerned that there is no conscience or opt-out clause for doctors

 Concerned the Bill does not define the ‘means’ of suicide and the assistance to be offered.Better definition of ‘assistance’ and other terms required

 Notes that there are no penalties for misapplication or abuse outlined

Public Questions, Religion & Morals Committee of the Free Church of

Scotland

About: n/a

Submission contact: Rev David Blunt (Convener)

Key points:

 Believes the Bill is based on the mistaken premise that man has a ‘right’ to end his own life

Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland

About: n/a

Submission contact: n/a

Key points:

 Rejects on religious grounds

The Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health (RCPCH)

About: Compiled by RCPCH Ethics and Law Advisory Committee, a multi-disciplinary committee of

paediatricians, other child- health professionals, ethicists and legal experts elected to lead on

issues of ethics and law for the College