Last week, Scotland resolutely rejected assisted suicide. Alberta announced major new legislation to protect individuals from the practice. And the clock is ticking in the United Kingdom’s House of Lords on a bill that would legalize the practice in England and Wales.
Debates over assisted suicide are intensifying worldwide. The Scottish vote was striking as its parliament is dominated by parties on the left and center-left, and yet opposition to the bill prevailed, cutting across party lines. Leaders from Scotland’s three major parties (the Scottish National Party, Labour, and the Conservatives), along with the country’s last two first ministers, came together to reject the bill in a rare show of unity. The result was a 69-to-57 decision against legalizing assisted suicide for terminally ill adults.
