Sister Rita Dawson, of the St Margaret of Scotland Hospice in West Dunbartonshire, the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland and the Rt Rev Rosie Frew, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, were amongst the many campaigners against the Assisted Dying Bill when it came before Parliament this week.
What’s the public mood on assisted dying?
The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill would have made it legal for a medical practitioner or authorised health professional to give an eligible patient a lethal drug to end their own life.
A bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales is being considered at Westminster, though it appears unlikely to pass before the end of the parliamentary term.
Liam McArthur, the MSP behind it, made several changes to the bill in a bid to win over swithering MSPs.
Like the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church in Scotland, most Lib Dem and SNP MSPs supported the bill, with full support from the Greens, but it was defeated by a majority of Labour and Tory opponents, as well as 22 from the SNP – First Minister including John Swinney.
Seventeen Labour MSPs voted against the bill while there were only three who voted in support of it, including the Dumbarton, Helensburgh and Lomond MSP, Dame Jackie Baillie.
McArthur’s assisted dying bill was the third to have come before the Scottish Parliament since devolution in 1999, but the first to make it past a stage one vote.
MSPs were granted a free vote on the proposals, meaning they were not whipped to vote along party lines.
Both sides of the debate claim huge public support for their arguments – though the results of recent polls vary. It was noted at stage three of the debate by Green MSP Ross Greer, right, that answers differ considerably depending on how survey questions are asked.
A poll carried out in 2024 on behalf of the campaign group Dignity in Dying Scotland found that 78% of respondents said that they would support making it lawful for someone to seek assisted dying in Scotland.
However, another poll commissioned this year by campaign group Not Dead Yet UK found that 69% agreed Holyrood should prioritise improving access to care for disabled people before introducing “assisted suicide”.
As for the mood across the UK, the National Centre for Social Research charity recently published,  data from the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey on attitudes to assisted dying.
It said the survey, from August 2024, showed “clear support” for the law change “in some circumstances” – with a total of 79% in favour.
The Dumbarton Democrat has full coverage and pictures from Holyrood in today’s issue.