I have huge respect for Liz Carr as an actor, as a campaigner for disability rights, and as a person who has refused to let her disability stand in the way of a successful career and life (‘I’m fighting for the right to live’: Liz Carr on acting, friendship and her campaign against assisted dying, 14 May). I agree with her that disability alone should be no reason to have an assisted suicide. Absolutely not.
But this is not what Liam McArthur’s assisted dying bill that is before the Scottish parliament is about. It is very strictly confined to terminally ill adults who are of sound mind and who want help to accelerate their own imminent death and suffering. This proposal is far removed from the controversial Canadian model, which Ms Carr and many others cite as evidence against assisted dying.
