Disabled former SNP MP backs assisted dying law and says she would have voted after party abstention

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A disabled former SNP MP has said she would have struggled to “sit on my hands” during the Westminster vote on assisted dying.

Amy Callaghan, who says she is “resolute” in her support for assisted dying, made the comment after SNP MPs abstained in the historic vote.She said she hopes Holyrood follows suit by backing similar legislation.Assisted dying moved a step forward to being legalised in England and Wales after legislation cleared its first hurdle in Parliament last month.

A majority of MPs, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, supported a Bill that would allow terminally ill adults with a life expectancy of less than six months to end their lives.The major change was backed by MPs despite fierce opposition from campaign groups including disability organisations.They claim vulnerable people could be coerced and insist the legislation will lead to a “slippery slope” of further liberalisation.Callaghan, who was the SNP MP for East Dunbartonshire before losing her seat in July, lives with a disability after suffering a brain haemorrhage.

In an article for Daily Record, she addressed SNP MPs’ abstaining on the grounds the Bill does not affect Scots:“Had I still been elected, I would have struggled to sit on my hands for this vote - I respect why SNP MPs did, but this social change will be so mammoth should it pass further stages in the Commons and the Lords.”She added: “I am resolute in my support for assisted dying as an option for terminally ill individuals.