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The Scottish Parliament recently voted against a bill that would have allowed terminally ill individuals in Scotland the right to choose assisted dying. Despite the defeat, the conversation surrounding this sensitive topic is expected to continue. Liam McArthur, the Liberal Democrat MSP who introduced the bill, expressed his devastation at the outcome but affirmed that the discussion “isn’t going away.” The debate in the chamber was emotionally charged, marking the final speeches for several MSPs ahead of the upcoming election on 7 May.
This proposed legislation faced rigorous examination, including 175 amendments during its Stage Three consideration. Since the bill was put forward by McArthur, any future efforts to revisit assisted dying legislation would require starting from scratch in a new parliamentary session, and the MSP would have to be re-elected to reintroduce it. McArthur has represented Orkney in Holyrood since 2007 and currently serves as one of the parliament’s deputy presiding officers. He took on this cause following his re-election in 2021. Although this latest bill was rejected, it does not mark the end of the debate, as the issue has been raised multiple times over the past two decades and remains a contentious and persistent political matter in Scotland.
The discussion about assisted dying is not new to Holyrood, with previous attempts dating back nearly 20 years. The first bill on this subject was introduced in 2010 by independent MSP Margo MacDonald but was overwhelmingly rejected. MacDonald, who had Parkinson’s disease, passed away in 2014. A subsequent attempt led by Patrick Harvie of the Scottish Greens was also defeated in 2015. Last year’s bill came closer than any before it, passing its general principles by a narrower margin, yet it still fell short of becoming law. Elsewhere internationally, assisted dying is legal in countries such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. While potential legislation at Westminster may not affect Scotland directly, it could increase pressure on the Scottish Parliament to revisit the matter.
In the meantime, many opponents of the bill underscored the urgent need to improve palliative care, social care, and protections for vulnerable individuals before enacting any new laws. This emphasis on boosting palliative and end-of-life care is expected to become a key priority in Holyrood’s agenda. The Scottish Partnership for Palliative Care provided extensive briefings throughout the bill’s progression, highlighting service gaps and warning that insufficient palliative support may indirectly influence decisions related to assisted dying. McArthur acknowledged that the debate helped shed light on the palliative care sector, stressing that “it is not an either/or choice” between assisted dying and quality care. Looking ahead, he hopes that efforts to enhance palliative care will continue regardless of legislative outcomes
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