Holyrood

The bill Patrick Harvie inherited from Margo MacDonald was rejected in May 2015, but Orkney MSP Liam McArthur lodged a new “proposal for a Member’s Bill to enable competent adults who are terminally ill to be provided at their request with assistance to end their life” – assisted suicide for terminally ill adults without a specified life expectancy – on 22 September 2021.

A public consultation closed on 22 December 2021, with a report summarising the vast response published on 8 September 2022 and the bill was published in March 2024 followed by a Health Committee call for evidence, responses to which exposed widespread concerns.

Stage 1 debate will follow oral evidence sessions. Care Not Killing has supported experts in briefing MSPs at several dedicated sessions.

Visit our dedicated Scottish campaign website, carenotkilling.scot, for resources to use in contacting your MSPs to make clear your opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia, and to ask their views on the subject.

PAST ARTICLES

As Scotland continues to await the report on the McArthur Bill consultation, Baroness (Tanni) Grey-Thompson and Professor Marie Fallon delivered timely warnings to MSPs during a Care Not Killing-Not Dead Yet webinar on 8 March.
Our CEO writes in the Herald (11 January 2022) concerning reasons for opposition to Liam McArthur's proposed Holyrood bill
Read the joint submission of Care Not Killing and Our Duty of Care to the Scottish Parliament consultation concerning a proposed assisted suicide bill.
Watch Dutch ethicist and former euthanasia regulator Prof Theo Boer; Canadian palliative care physician Dr Leonie Herx; and academic and disability rights advocate Dr Miro Griffiths address our 23 November seminar for MSPs, co-hosted with Not Dead Yet.
Your responses are invited to a consultation document on assisted suicide for Scotland ahead of a 22 December deadline
The 2021 Scottish Elections have seen pledges on both palliative care and assisted suicide – and campaigners have made clear their intent to press the latter in the new Parliament.