Seòmar agus comataidhean

Death is a universal experience, yet it remains a difficult subject. We all approach this debate with a profound desire to live. People who are asking us to support the bill would certainly rather live, but for many of them, that choice has been removed by a terminal diagnosis.

I think of my constituent Joanne and her father Robert, a retired firefighter. The unbearable reality of Robert’s terminal illness led him to beg his family to help him die. Too many families have been in that position. Too many people have experienced an agonising death against their wishes, yet it remains taboo—consigned to the too-difficult box.

I thank Liam McArthur for creating a respectful space for the stories of dying Scots and his immense capacity to listen. I also honour those who shared their most painful moments, so that others might not face a similar lack of choice. In a recent interview, I listened to Lorna Slater, who spoke movingly about her father’s beautiful death in Canada. I know that holding a loved one’s hand at the end is a sacred privilege, but for some, the law makes that peaceful holding of our loved ones impossible.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that the bill is within our legislative competence and is deliverable. We have vital clarity that commencement will only happen once employment protections and conscientious objection rights are in place, as well as requirements for training and qualifications.

The views of clinicians are important, but I was struck by the words of Rhona Baillie OBE—the chief executive of the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice—in a letter to all of us, and I hope that all MSPs have had a chance to read her words. Rhona is a supporter of change, with more than 40 years’ nursing experience. She is advocating for a rights-based approach that is centred on the patient. I am heartened to hear that, should the bill be agreed to, her hospice is adequately prepared to engage with the new legal clinical framework.

I have seen the work of our hospice movement at first hand, even walking through fire for Kilbryde hospice. I say to those who argue that this is not the time because our systems are underfunded that they must join me in demanding that hospice-led palliative care no longer relies on bake sales and raffles.

Assisted dying is not a replacement for palliative care—it is additional. Our views on how healthcare should be in the future must not be used as a cover to deny individual choice today. Whatever our own beliefs and preferences, our decision must be transparent and honest. Vote on this bill, not on one that does not exist.

Our responsibility is not to judge but to provide a compassionate and safe choice for terminally ill people who want to have that choice. Voting for the status quo is not a neutral act. It will deny safeguards, hope and compassion to many. Tonight, I will vote yes for choice, agency and dignity for dying Scots.

20:27

Death is a universal experience, yet it remains a difficult subject. We all approach this debate with a profound desire to live. People who are asking us to support the bill would certainly rather live, but for many of them, that choice has been removed by a terminal diagnosis.

I think of my constituent Joanne and her father Robert, a retired firefighter. The unbearable reality of Robert’s terminal illness led him to beg his family to help him die. Too many families have been in that position. Too many people have experienced an agonising death against their wishes, yet it remains taboo—consigned to the too-difficult box.

I thank Liam McArthur for creating a respectful space for the stories of dying Scots and his immense capacity to listen. I also honour those who shared their most painful moments, so that others might not face a similar lack of choice. In a recent interview, I listened to Lorna Slater, who spoke movingly about her father’s beautiful death in Canada. I know that holding a loved one’s hand at the end is a sacred privilege, but for some, the law makes that peaceful holding of our loved ones impossible.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that the bill is within our legislative competence and is deliverable. We have vital clarity that commencement will only happen once employment protections and conscientious objection rights are in place, as well as requirements for training and qualifications.

The views of clinicians are important, but I was struck by the words of Rhona Baillie OBE—the chief executive of the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice—in a letter to all of us, and I hope that all MSPs have had a chance to read her words. Rhona is a supporter of change, with more than 40 years’ nursing experience. She is advocating for a rights-based approach that is centred on the patient. I am heartened to hear that, should the bill be agreed to, her hospice is adequately prepared to engage with the new legal clinical framework.

I have seen the work of our hospice movement at first hand, even walking through fire for Kilbryde hospice. I say to those who argue that this is not the time because our systems are underfunded that they must join me in demanding that hospice-led palliative care no longer relies on bake sales and raffles.

Assisted dying is not a replacement for palliative care—it is additional. Our views on how healthcare should be in the future must not be used as a cover to deny individual choice today. Whatever our own beliefs and preferences, our decision must be transparent and honest. Vote on this bill, not on one that does not exist.

Our responsibility is not to judge but to provide a compassionate and safe choice for terminally ill people who want to have that choice. Voting for the status quo is not a neutral act. It will deny safeguards, hope and compassion to many. Tonight, I will vote yes for choice, agency and dignity for dying Scots.

20:27

Death is a universal experience, yet it remains a difficult subject. We all approach this debate with a profound desire to live. People who are asking us to support the bill would certainly rather live, but for many of them, that choice has been removed by a terminal diagnosis.

I think of my constituent Joanne and her father Robert, a retired firefighter. The unbearable reality of Robert’s terminal illness led him to beg his family to help him die. Too many families have been in that position. Too many people have experienced an agonising death against their wishes, yet it remains taboo—consigned to the too-difficult box.

I thank Liam McArthur for creating a respectful space for the stories of dying Scots and his immense capacity to listen. I also honour those who shared their most painful moments, so that others might not face a similar lack of choice. In a recent interview, I listened to Lorna Slater, who spoke movingly about her father’s beautiful death in Canada. I know that holding a loved one’s hand at the end is a sacred privilege, but for some, the law makes that peaceful holding of our loved ones impossible.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that the bill is within our legislative competence and is deliverable. We have vital clarity that commencement will only happen once employment protections and conscientious objection rights are in place, as well as requirements for training and qualifications.

The views of clinicians are important, but I was struck by the words of Rhona Baillie OBE—the chief executive of the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice—in a letter to all of us, and I hope that all MSPs have had a chance to read her words. Rhona is a supporter of change, with more than 40 years’ nursing experience. She is advocating for a rights-based approach that is centred on the patient. I am heartened to hear that, should the bill be agreed to, her hospice is adequately prepared to engage with the new legal clinical framework.

I have seen the work of our hospice movement at first hand, even walking through fire for Kilbryde hospice. I say to those who argue that this is not the time because our systems are underfunded that they must join me in demanding that hospice-led palliative care no longer relies on bake sales and raffles.

Assisted dying is not a replacement for palliative care—it is additional. Our views on how healthcare should be in the future must not be used as a cover to deny individual choice today. Whatever our own beliefs and preferences, our decision must be transparent and honest. Vote on this bill, not on one that does not exist.

Our responsibility is not to judge but to provide a compassionate and safe choice for terminally ill people who want to have that choice. Voting for the status quo is not a neutral act. It will deny safeguards, hope and compassion to many. Tonight, I will vote yes for choice, agency and dignity for dying Scots.

20:27

Death is a universal experience, yet it remains a difficult subject. We all approach this debate with a profound desire to live. People who are asking us to support the bill would certainly rather live, but for many of them, that choice has been removed by a terminal diagnosis.

I think of my constituent Joanne and her father Robert, a retired firefighter. The unbearable reality of Robert’s terminal illness led him to beg his family to help him die. Too many families have been in that position. Too many people have experienced an agonising death against their wishes, yet it remains taboo—consigned to the too-difficult box.

I thank Liam McArthur for creating a respectful space for the stories of dying Scots and his immense capacity to listen. I also honour those who shared their most painful moments, so that others might not face a similar lack of choice. In a recent interview, I listened to Lorna Slater, who spoke movingly about her father’s beautiful death in Canada. I know that holding a loved one’s hand at the end is a sacred privilege, but for some, the law makes that peaceful holding of our loved ones impossible.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that the bill is within our legislative competence and is deliverable. We have vital clarity that commencement will only happen once employment protections and conscientious objection rights are in place, as well as requirements for training and qualifications.

The views of clinicians are important, but I was struck by the words of Rhona Baillie OBE—the chief executive of the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice—in a letter to all of us, and I hope that all MSPs have had a chance to read her words. Rhona is a supporter of change, with more than 40 years’ nursing experience. She is advocating for a rights-based approach that is centred on the patient. I am heartened to hear that, should the bill be agreed to, her hospice is adequately prepared to engage with the new legal clinical framework.

I have seen the work of our hospice movement at first hand, even walking through fire for Kilbryde hospice. I say to those who argue that this is not the time because our systems are underfunded that they must join me in demanding that hospice-led palliative care no longer relies on bake sales and raffles.

Assisted dying is not a replacement for palliative care—it is additional. Our views on how healthcare should be in the future must not be used as a cover to deny individual choice today. Whatever our own beliefs and preferences, our decision must be transparent and honest. Vote on this bill, not on one that does not exist.

Our responsibility is not to judge but to provide a compassionate and safe choice for terminally ill people who want to have that choice. Voting for the status quo is not a neutral act. It will deny safeguards, hope and compassion to many. Tonight, I will vote yes for choice, agency and dignity for dying Scots.

20:27

Death is a universal experience, yet it remains a difficult subject. We all approach this debate with a profound desire to live. People who are asking us to support the bill would certainly rather live, but for many of them, that choice has been removed by a terminal diagnosis.

I think of my constituent Joanne and her father Robert, a retired firefighter. The unbearable reality of Robert’s terminal illness led him to beg his family to help him die. Too many families have been in that position. Too many people have experienced an agonising death against their wishes, yet it remains taboo—consigned to the too-difficult box.

I thank Liam McArthur for creating a respectful space for the stories of dying Scots and his immense capacity to listen. I also honour those who shared their most painful moments, so that others might not face a similar lack of choice. In a recent interview, I listened to Lorna Slater, who spoke movingly about her father’s beautiful death in Canada. I know that holding a loved one’s hand at the end is a sacred privilege, but for some, the law makes that peaceful holding of our loved ones impossible.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that the bill is within our legislative competence and is deliverable. We have vital clarity that commencement will only happen once employment protections and conscientious objection rights are in place, as well as requirements for training and qualifications.

The views of clinicians are important, but I was struck by the words of Rhona Baillie OBE—the chief executive of the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice—in a letter to all of us, and I hope that all MSPs have had a chance to read her words. Rhona is a supporter of change, with more than 40 years’ nursing experience. She is advocating for a rights-based approach that is centred on the patient. I am heartened to hear that, should the bill be agreed to, her hospice is adequately prepared to engage with the new legal clinical framework.

I have seen the work of our hospice movement at first hand, even walking through fire for Kilbryde hospice. I say to those who argue that this is not the time because our systems are underfunded that they must join me in demanding that hospice-led palliative care no longer relies on bake sales and raffles.

Assisted dying is not a replacement for palliative care—it is additional. Our views on how healthcare should be in the future must not be used as a cover to deny individual choice today. Whatever our own beliefs and preferences, our decision must be transparent and honest. Vote on this bill, not on one that does not exist.

Our responsibility is not to judge but to provide a compassionate and safe choice for terminally ill people who want to have that choice. Voting for the status quo is not a neutral act. It will deny safeguards, hope and compassion to many. Tonight, I will vote yes for choice, agency and dignity for dying Scots.

20:27

Death is a universal experience, yet it remains a difficult subject. We all approach this debate with a profound desire to live. People who are asking us to support the bill would certainly rather live, but for many of them, that choice has been removed by a terminal diagnosis.

I think of my constituent Joanne and her father Robert, a retired firefighter. The unbearable reality of Robert’s terminal illness led him to beg his family to help him die. Too many families have been in that position. Too many people have experienced an agonising death against their wishes, yet it remains taboo—consigned to the too-difficult box.

I thank Liam McArthur for creating a respectful space for the stories of dying Scots and his immense capacity to listen. I also honour those who shared their most painful moments, so that others might not face a similar lack of choice. In a recent interview, I listened to Lorna Slater, who spoke movingly about her father’s beautiful death in Canada. I know that holding a loved one’s hand at the end is a sacred privilege, but for some, the law makes that peaceful holding of our loved ones impossible.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that the bill is within our legislative competence and is deliverable. We have vital clarity that commencement will only happen once employment protections and conscientious objection rights are in place, as well as requirements for training and qualifications.

The views of clinicians are important, but I was struck by the words of Rhona Baillie OBE—the chief executive of the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice—in a letter to all of us, and I hope that all MSPs have had a chance to read her words. Rhona is a supporter of change, with more than 40 years’ nursing experience. She is advocating for a rights-based approach that is centred on the patient. I am heartened to hear that, should the bill be agreed to, her hospice is adequately prepared to engage with the new legal clinical framework.

I have seen the work of our hospice movement at first hand, even walking through fire for Kilbryde hospice. I say to those who argue that this is not the time because our systems are underfunded that they must join me in demanding that hospice-led palliative care no longer relies on bake sales and raffles.

Assisted dying is not a replacement for palliative care—it is additional. Our views on how healthcare should be in the future must not be used as a cover to deny individual choice today. Whatever our own beliefs and preferences, our decision must be transparent and honest. Vote on this bill, not on one that does not exist.

Our responsibility is not to judge but to provide a compassionate and safe choice for terminally ill people who want to have that choice. Voting for the status quo is not a neutral act. It will deny safeguards, hope and compassion to many. Tonight, I will vote yes for choice, agency and dignity for dying Scots.

20:27

Death is a universal experience, yet it remains a difficult subject. We all approach this debate with a profound desire to live. People who are asking us to support the bill would certainly rather live, but for many of them, that choice has been removed by a terminal diagnosis.

I think of my constituent Joanne and her father Robert, a retired firefighter. The unbearable reality of Robert’s terminal illness led him to beg his family to help him die. Too many families have been in that position. Too many people have experienced an agonising death against their wishes, yet it remains taboo—consigned to the too-difficult box.

I thank Liam McArthur for creating a respectful space for the stories of dying Scots and his immense capacity to listen. I also honour those who shared their most painful moments, so that others might not face a similar lack of choice. In a recent interview, I listened to Lorna Slater, who spoke movingly about her father’s beautiful death in Canada. I know that holding a loved one’s hand at the end is a sacred privilege, but for some, the law makes that peaceful holding of our loved ones impossible.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that the bill is within our legislative competence and is deliverable. We have vital clarity that commencement will only happen once employment protections and conscientious objection rights are in place, as well as requirements for training and qualifications.

The views of clinicians are important, but I was struck by the words of Rhona Baillie OBE—the chief executive of the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice—in a letter to all of us, and I hope that all MSPs have had a chance to read her words. Rhona is a supporter of change, with more than 40 years’ nursing experience. She is advocating for a rights-based approach that is centred on the patient. I am heartened to hear that, should the bill be agreed to, her hospice is adequately prepared to engage with the new legal clinical framework.

I have seen the work of our hospice movement at first hand, even walking through fire for Kilbryde hospice. I say to those who argue that this is not the time because our systems are underfunded that they must join me in demanding that hospice-led palliative care no longer relies on bake sales and raffles.

Assisted dying is not a replacement for palliative care—it is additional. Our views on how healthcare should be in the future must not be used as a cover to deny individual choice today. Whatever our own beliefs and preferences, our decision must be transparent and honest. Vote on this bill, not on one that does not exist.

Our responsibility is not to judge but to provide a compassionate and safe choice for terminally ill people who want to have that choice. Voting for the status quo is not a neutral act. It will deny safeguards, hope and compassion to many. Tonight, I will vote yes for choice, agency and dignity for dying Scots.

20:27

Death is a universal experience, yet it remains a difficult subject. We all approach this debate with a profound desire to live. People who are asking us to support the bill would certainly rather live, but for many of them, that choice has been removed by a terminal diagnosis.

I think of my constituent Joanne and her father Robert, a retired firefighter. The unbearable reality of Robert’s terminal illness led him to beg his family to help him die. Too many families have been in that position. Too many people have experienced an agonising death against their wishes, yet it remains taboo—consigned to the too-difficult box.

I thank Liam McArthur for creating a respectful space for the stories of dying Scots and his immense capacity to listen. I also honour those who shared their most painful moments, so that others might not face a similar lack of choice. In a recent interview, I listened to Lorna Slater, who spoke movingly about her father’s beautiful death in Canada. I know that holding a loved one’s hand at the end is a sacred privilege, but for some, the law makes that peaceful holding of our loved ones impossible.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that the bill is within our legislative competence and is deliverable. We have vital clarity that commencement will only happen once employment protections and conscientious objection rights are in place, as well as requirements for training and qualifications.

The views of clinicians are important, but I was struck by the words of Rhona Baillie OBE—the chief executive of the Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice—in a letter to all of us, and I hope that all MSPs have had a chance to read her words. Rhona is a supporter of change, with more than 40 years’ nursing experience. She is advocating for a rights-based approach that is centred on the patient. I am heartened to hear that, should the bill be agreed to, her hospice is adequately prepared to engage with the new legal clinical framework.

I have seen the work of our hospice movement at first hand, even walking through fire for Kilbryde hospice. I say to those who argue that this is not the time because our systems are underfunded that they must join me in demanding that hospice-led palliative care no longer relies on bake sales and raffles.

Assisted dying is not a replacement for palliative care—it is additional. Our views on how healthcare should be in the future must not be used as a cover to deny individual choice today. Whatever our own beliefs and preferences, our decision must be transparent and honest. Vote on this bill, not on one that does not exist.

Our responsibility is not to judge but to provide a compassionate and safe choice for terminally ill people who want to have that choice. Voting for the status quo is not a neutral act. It will deny safeguards, hope and compassion to many. Tonight, I will vote yes for choice, agency and dignity for dying Scots.

20:27

The SNP went into the 2021 election promising universal free school meals for all primary pupils. When in government, the roll-out to all primary 1 to primary 7 children was promised by August 2022, but thousands of children are still waiting, years later. Does the cabinet secretary agree with the education secretary, who admitted this week that school meal debt is still an issue and a burden that no child or family should face? Does the cabinet secretary accept that the support from the school meal debt fund is a sticking plaster, and can she advise the Parliament when—

—the SNP will fulfil its promise to Scotland’s children?