Kirk Moderator: It's assisted suicide, not 'assisted dying'

The Moderator of the Church of Scotland has criticised language used in controversial legislation that would see terminally ill Scots helped to commit suicide.

In an interview with a Scottish newspaper, Lord Jim Wallace said the term 'assisted dying', used in a bill before the Scottish Parliament, is misleading.

Lord Wallace, who is also a former leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats and Deputy First Minister of Scotland, told the Scottish Daily Mail:

"Athough the term 'assisted dying' is used in the title of the proposed Bill, what is actually being proposed is assisted suicide. It would be more accurate to say the Bill proposed to make it legal, in certain situations, to provide assistance to actively end the life of another person."

He added that the Church of Scotland remains fully opposed to assisted suicide and euthanasia and believes better palliative care is necessary to address physical suffering at the end of life.

In a statement last year, Lord Wallace stressed that legalising assisted suicide would open a Pandora's Box:

“The current societal protection of life is clear and to move away from this would involve more than a simple modification of the law and would represent a crossing of the Rubicon from which there would be no return.

“This would have profound effects on how society regards those in our communities who are vulnerable, not just the elderly and infirm but also those with disabilities and those who are unable to speak up to protect themselves.

“Our position is rooted in our Christian faith and whilst we recognise that this is a debate which is not entered upon lightly by those sincerely promoting change, we remain opposed to any proposals to amend the law around assisted dying in all its forms.”

A consultation on a bill before the Scottish parliament closed at the end of last year. The results are expected in the coming weeks.