There’s an effort in Scotland right now that is spearheaded by Margo MacDonald. She’s been successful in getting the matter before the Scottish Parliament. There has been an encouraging amount of opposition to the proposed bill from the medical community. The disability community seems pretty united – and serious – about opposing this bill, which they think is badly timed, to say the least:
Members of Inclusion Scotland say Margo Macdonald’s End of Life Bill discriminates against disabled people and contradicts the independent living agenda. They were protesting as evidence about the bill was being heard inside the parliament.
Disability support worker Catherine Garrod said: “I think it is offering assisted suicide to disabled people but a non-disabled person who was suicidal would be given counselling.
Dr Colin Cameron, a disability equality trainer, added:: “We need to provide support for disabled people to live on their own terms, not providing support for them to die.”
More later on…
The bill would make it legal for doctors to assist those who wish to die. It is designed to help those with a terminal illness and those whose physical disability makes life intolerable.
The move has been proposed by Margo MacDonald – who herself suffers from Parkinsons disease.
She said: “The bill has nothing whatsoever to do with disabled people, and I think it is absolutely disgraceful that such vulnerable people should have been used here today.” (Emphasis added.)
The row came as MSPs took detailed evidence on the bill.
Pam Duncan, a board member of Inclusion Scotland, said; “I genuinely believe that as a parliament we have a responsibility to make life a better choice than death.”
MacDonald reveals a type of contemptuous dismissal common among pro-euthanasia advocates in her framing the people with disabilities who are protesting as people who “have been used.” On the one hand, she wants to respect individual choice and autonomy – but when disabled people come together and turn collective “thumbs down” to her “dignity” bill, she labels them as puppets “being used” by others (although she doesn’t say who the puppeteers are in this article, anyway).
In other coverage, disability advocates and activists harshly criticize the timing of this bill:
Catherine Garrod, of Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living, claimed that under the bill only disabled people would be eligible for assistance to die, suggesting their lives were of less value than those of non-disabled people.
She cited the case of 23-year-old Daniel James, who chose to die after being paralysed while playing rugby and added: “His wish to die was considered to be acceptable because he was a disabled man. The same desire to die in a non-disabled person of either sex or any age would be considered to be unreasonable and a sign of mental illness.”Ms Garrod also called for a greater emphasis on tackling the social hurdles which can make life difficult for disabled people. Inclusion Scotland has criticised the timing of the bill, arguing that cuts to benefits and services might put some people in even more desperate situations, and make assisted dying appear “attractive”.“There is no mention throughout the End of Life bill of the barriers facing disabled people that may contribute to them finding life intolerable,” Ms Garrod said. “Barriers such as cuts to welfare benefits, cuts to social work services and other types of support, cuts to health services and the lack of accessible housing and being in poverty can all make life intolerable for disabled people.”She added: “Disabled people are among the most disempowered in our society. This limits their choices. Some disabled people don’t even get to choose their own socks.“The so-called safeguards in the bill would not prevent insidious and sometimes even unconscious pressure being brought to bear on disabled people by carers, health and care professionals. All research studies conducted on assisted dying show ‘not wanting to be a burden’ as the principal reason for seeking death.”
I invite Margo MacDonald to educate me. Who, pray tell, is “using” Catherine Garrod? She seems pretty clear on what she wants and why. If you can’t name someone who is “using” Garrod, you should consider apologizing to her and to all disabled people in Scotland.
But I won’t hold my breath waiting for that apology or advise anyone else to, either. –Stephen Drake