CNA Newsroom, Sep 14, 2022 / 15:58 pm
The Catholic Church in Scotland has spoken out about the dangers of current proposals to legalize assisted suicide for terminally-ill people.
Liam McArthur, who is a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), presented his final proposal for his Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults bill on Sept. 8, which has prompted a strongly worded statement from Anthony Horan, director of the Catholic Parliamentary Office in Scotland.
In a statement issued Sept. 8, Horan said: “Liam McArthur’s final proposal for a bill on assisted suicide is frankly dangerous. It risks undermining the provision of palliative care and undermining efforts to prevent suicide. It will make the most vulnerable people, including the elderly and disabled, feel like a burden, and its safeguards will prove futile. The current law is the safeguard. We should be caring for people, not killing them.”
Horan added: “It is understandable that most people responding to the consultation supported the idea of a dignified death — we all do, but killing someone who is ill is never dignified.