Nicola Sturgeon MSP, the Health Secretary, has been reported as saying she was “not persuaded” that assisted suicide should be made legal, after independent MSP Margo MacDonald said she hoped to bring legislation on the subject before Holyrood next year.

Ms. Sturgeon (with whom I once worked) said that she was not sure safeguards could be put in place to prevent the system from being abused. However, she is quite comfortable (as I understand it) to see organs harvested from those who haven’t got round to “opting out” (i.e. declaring officially that you’d like to hang onto your organs after you’re dead).