
The results of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee call for views show that an overwhelming majority of Scots want a change in the law on assisted dying.
The Committee offered the option of responding to a short survey or a detailed call for views. The short survey, completed by almost 13,800 people showed 74% support with 67% of those responding replying from Scotland.
It is obvious that Scots have reflected on Liam McArthur’s Bill, which includes strong and robust safeguards and reporting, and have concluded that they agree with him that the law needs to change.
The detailed call for views attracted 7,122 replies and, against all known data sets on this question, found that 93% of those replying opposed a change in the law. A further analysis of these numbers showed that just under three quarters (73%) of those responses came from outside Scotland.
SPICE (Scottish Parliamentary Information Centre) note in the report that there is
“strong evidence to suggest that a significant number of individual responses to both calls for views were the result of organised campaigns”.
We know from previous consultations that there are very well-funded and organised anti-choice, radical religious groups, often based and funded in the USA, that target our consultations. The previous Scottish Assisted Dying Bill in 2015 was infamously spammed by ‘right to life’ groups using a BOT to submit thousands of the same negative response to the then Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill in the hope to skew the results.
MSPs are now much more alert to these practices, but it will not stop our opponents from claiming that there is diminished support for a change in the law. We know and you know that is not the case.
FATE will continue to give voice to Scots who have clearly said they want a change in the law. We will also continue our work in and outside of Parliament and with our pro-choice partners to make sure that these ordinary voices are heard. If you would like to help us fight for a change in the law, please consider a DONATION to us. You can also JOIN Fate as a member.