Meeting of the Parliament 13 March 2026 [Draft]
In opening the debate on this group of amendments, I described them as “straightforward.” However, that might have been to unintentionally understate the crucial importance of data and reporting, given that we know that, where assisted dying is legalised, reporting provisions have sometimes, sadly, served as mechanisms for either widening eligibility and relaxing safeguards or not taking corrective action when major issues are flagged. It is crucial that relevant and accurate information is captured, so that vulnerable individuals who could be harmed by assisted dying legislation—those with physical and learning disabilities, people with eating disorders, victims of domestic abuse, those in poverty and many others—remain protected by robust safeguards and so that the operation of the legislation does not drift over time.
Jackie Baillie’s amendment 280 would require the number of persons aged 18 or under who requested assistance to end their lives under this regime to be recorded. I welcome this amendment, which would increase accountability. We know that, shockingly, there have been successful efforts in some jurisdictions to broaden access to assisted dying to that age group. In Canada, a 2023 parliamentary committee review of Canada’s assisted dying legislation recommended the expansion of assisted dying to children, although I note that the recommendation has not yet been advanced. We know that public support in Scotland falls quite significantly when people consider the fact that, in the Netherlands and Belgium, children of any age may, in certain circumstances, be eligible for assisted dying. That tells me that the public view the risk of that becoming a provision in Scotland as being just too high.
I note Liam McArthur’s clarification on amendment 57. Although the amendment seems innocuous, I am worried about the unintended ramifications, given that it would replicate the type of recording that is used in Australia, which has subsequently been used by review boards and campaigners to argue for widening access.