The opening sentence of Camilla Cavendish’s excellent piece (Opinion, February 15) on assisted dying suggests the bill currently going through the Commons applies to Britain. It doesn’t.
Kim Leadbeater’s bill applies only to England and Wales. Scotland has its own bill, moving glacially through the Scottish parliament. The distinction is important, as there are important differences across the bills — the Scottish bill, for example, applies to people over 16 with capacity (Leadbeater’s bill is for over-18s) and does not require death to be expected within six months. Whether either bill becomes law is, of course, another matter.
Alex Mathieson
Edinburgh, UK
