Former Scottish MP Dennis Canavan has voiced his opposition to plans for an assisted suicide law in Scotland, and says his children’s deaths inform his belief that the practice is not needed to “ensure dignity in death”.
The former member of the Scottish Parliament, 79, who was a Labour MP and later became an independent member of Parliament, spoke out against the controversial proposition, saying that he had “probably had more than my fair share of deaths in my family”.
Canavan, a father of five, has suffered several personal tragedies. Four of his three children are bereaved, three of whom have died as a result of terminal illness. Canavan, who is set to address members of Parliament about his experiences at an event in Holyrood on Wednesday, said that his children all “died with dignity” as he highlighted the importance of palliative care.
It is an argument which is at odds with claims made by campaigners for assisted suicide and euthanasia that assisted death is needed for those suffering with terminal conditions, and can ensure ‘death with dignity’, a phrase routinely used by advocates of the controversial practise.
Ahead of today’s event, which has been organised by an organisation Care Not Killing, the ex-Falkirk MP said: “I have probably had more than my fair share of deaths in my family, having suffered the loss of four children, three of them as the result of terminal illness.
“However, I found the standard of NHS care to be excellent and the standard of palliative care in our local Strathcarron Hospice was first class.”
His son Mark died aged 41 after a three-year battle with Motor neurone disease, while his son Dennis Jr passed away from a brain tumour aged just 35. His son Paul died from skin cancer aged only 16, while daughter Ruth passed away at 49 years of age.
The Scottish politician, who also has a son Adam, added: “My children undoubtedly underwent some pain but it was minimised by caring health professionals.
“As a result, my children died in dignity and I do not accept the option of assisted suicide is necessary to ensure dignity in death.”
In a letter to the Herald Newspaper in January, he said the issue of assisted suicide concerns the “most basic” right to life.
“If we believe that the right to life is the most basic human right then it follows that no-one has the right to choose to take human life except in defence of another human life. Similarly, no-one has the right to classify some human lives as less valuable than others…I urge my former colleagues in the Scottish Parliament to vote against the proposed bill”, he wrote.
His poignant remarks come as the push to bring assisted suicide into the UK continues. In Scotland, Lib Dem politician Liam McArthur is at the helm of a third attempt to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland through a Member’s Bill.
McArthur wants to legalise the practice for adults who are both terminally ill and mentally competent, and amid pushback from those who are against assisted dying, has insisted that there will be safeguards included in his proposed Assisted Dying Scotland Bill.
Responding to Canavan’s advocacy against assisted dying, he said he has “the utmost sympathy for Dennis and the great loss he has had to endure”.
He added: “I am pleased that the palliative care received by his children was of such high quality and provided relief and comfort.
“However, we know that sadly some dying people do go beyond the limits of even the very best care and suffer intolerably as they die”.
McArthur claims that assisted suicide will provide a form of “excellent care”, as he continued: “The proposals I intend to bring work alongside excellent palliative care – giving dying people both excellent care and more choice if they need it”.
However, Chief Executive of Care Not Killing, Dr Gordon Macdonald said that policymakers such as McArthur have shifted the focus to helping people to take their own lives, and expressed concern about the pressure the vulnerable would come under, feeling as though they are a burden.
“Instead of investing in life-enhancing treatments and services, the focus of policy makers becomes how to help people commit suicide,” Macdonald said, adding:
“Perhaps most concerning is the risk that people who are vulnerable will come under pressure to end their lives from relatives or healthcare managers who have an eye on the costs of care and would prefer to either gain a large inheritance or make savings in NHS or social care budgets”.
Baroness Stephanie Fraser of Craigmaddie, who will also address Wednesday’s meeting alongside Canavan, expressed similar apprehension. The chief executive of Cerebral Palsy Scotland has said she is “deeply concerned that fraudsters would be able to take advantage of the most vulnerable” if assisted suicide becomes legal.