'My dad's assisted death was beautiful,' says Green MSP

Green MSP Lorna Slater has spoken of her father's "beautiful" assisted death in Canada as she backed proposals to legalise the process in Scotland.

Her dad, Andrew, died aged 84 in November after suffering a series of strokes and other health issues.

Slater travelled home to join her sisters and mother in Alberta to be at his bedside for his final moments.

She spoke about the experience as MSPs prepare for a final vote on a landmark assisted dying bill at Holyrood.

Slater told BBC Scotland News: "My father passed with my mother having her arms around him, his daughters holding his hands and, as the nurse said he would, he fell into the best and deepest sleep. He even snored a bit.

"That was really a beautiful ending to what was a long and well-lived life."

She added: "As that needle went into his arm he turned to my mum, who was in the bed with him cuddling him, and said 'that's the last pain I'm ever going to feel'. And that was a nice moment."

The former Green co-leader said that she and her dad had bonded over a love of the outdoors - particularly hiking in the Rocky Mountains - as well as enjoying debates about books and politics.

But by April last year a series of strokes had left Andrew bed-ridden in a care facility, with no prospect of returning home.

Despite regular visits from his wife, daughters and grandchildren, Slater said her father was "clearly miserable".

"He was in discomfort all the time," she said.

"He could barely sit up and that was uncomfortable. Lying down was uncomfortable. His life was one of tubes and interventions.

"And although he had excellent, excellent care, he was just so unhappy.

"He was very clear in his mind that he did not want to continue in this way. And my mum didn't want to see him suffer. I didn't. Nobody wanted that."

The MSP said she was "blessed" that her family could all be there to see their father's final moments.

However, the date of his death had to be postponed by a week because Slater had to give evidence to the Court of Session in Edinburgh, which was hearing a case about a bottle return recycling scheme she oversaw when in government.

"So he had to suffer an extra week while I had to do work here," she said.

Assisted dying has been legalised in Canada since 2016, with doctors able to administer lethal drugs to consenting patients with capacity to decide to end their life.

Under the Scottish proposals, which will face a final vote in March, the lethal doses would be self-administered.

Slater supports the assisted dying bill, and said the main concern arising from her father's death was that assisted dying is hard to access.

She added: "The reality of someone else's suffering is very painful to watch.

"I don't think anyone could look at another human being who is saying 'I am suffering and I do not want to continue like this, please let me end this on my terms' and deny them that."

The fate of the Scottish bill is in the balance, with some MSPs unconvinced that the proposals offers sufficient protections for medics or safeguards against coercion.

A similar bill is making its way through Westminster, where a terminally ill person is being defined as someone who has less than six months to live. No such timeframe exists in the Scottish bill.

Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, who has steered the proposals through Holyrood, has said he could be open to amendments ahead of the final vote.