Scottish lawmakers amend minimum age for assisted suicide

Scottish lawmakers decided this week that a person will need to be at least 18 years of age to qualify for assisted suicide or euthanasia under legislation currently being considered. Though advocates had previously pushed for youth as young as 16 to be able to choose assisted death, lawmakers eventually decided that was "a little bit too young."

Key Takeaways:

• In a proposed assisted dying bill, Scottish lawmakers revised the minimum age from 16 to 18.

• A proposal to push the age to 25 — the age at which the brain reaches maturity — was rejected.

• There is no minimum age at which it should be legally acceptable to choose one's own intentionally caused death, sanctioned by the government.

The Details:

Lawmakers in the Scottish Parliament are still considering the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, a controversial bill that would legalize euthanasia. This week, lawmakers set their sites on the age at which a person may request assisted suicide or euthanasia. The initial version of the bill proposed that youth as young as 16 should be able to qualify as adults under the law, with at least one lawmaker calling it "logical" to allow teens to choose death.

Lawmakers this week dialed back on that proposal, conceding that 16 was likely "a little bit too young."

MSP Claire Baker introduced a counter proposal to push the minimum age to 25, citing guidance that the brain is not fully developed until that age. However, her amendment was unanimously voted down in the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee. Lawmakers instead decided that 18 was a better "balance."

MSP Sandesh Gulhane, who proposed the change to age 18, had previously spoken as to why he believes 18-year-olds should be able to choose to end their lives via state-sanctioned suicide and euthanasia.

“I believe an adult is someone who is 18 years old; I believe they at that point (have the right) to decide on their medical treatment, to accept or refuse treatment; they have the right to go to a pub and drink legally, they have the right to smoke," he said.

“They have the right to do a lot of things; they are no longer in school in the majority of cases. The vast majority of people at 18 are able to make their own decisions.”

Why It Matters:

Throughout the bill's legislative process, numerous amendments meant to protect vulnerable people from legalized death have been rejected. Last week, another proposal was introduced that would create a "buffer zone" around assisted suicide providers, potentially penalizing even family members who try to dissuade loved ones from choosing state-sanctioned death.

Dr Gordon Macdonald, CEO of Care Not Killing, released a November 1 1 statement blasting the recent legislative actions, noting the bill is "spiraling out of control." He specifically noted the overturn of Baker's amendment, saying:

“Because the amendment was rejected, Scotland could now face the absurd position where someone under 25 may receive a lighter criminal sentence because their brain is considered immature yet still be eligible to seek assistance to end their life, an irreversible decision.”

Many experts have also pointed out that legalizing assisted suicide negatively impacts and funnels resources away from providing palliative care for individuals.

Assisted suicide/euthanasia and palliative care are not the same.

The Bottom Line:

There is no age or ability at which it is acceptable to legalize a person's killing or suicide. Life is precious and deserves to be protected at all stages.