Scottish lawmakers vote against assisted dying bill

LONDON — Scottish lawmakers on Tuesday evening rejected a bill allowing terminally ill adults to access assisted dying.

Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) opposed Liberal Democrat Liam McArthur’s legislation which would have given terminally ill adults with fewer than six months to live assistance to end their lives.

The bill fell by 69 votes to 57, with Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray abstaining. MSPs previously backed the initial principles of the bill and allowed it to progress through the parliament last May by 70 votes to 56.

First Minister John Swinney, Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar and Scottish Tory Leader Russell Findlay all rejected the bill, although Findlay voted in favor last May.

Former Scottish First Ministers Humza Yousaf and Nicola Sturgeon also opposed the bill.

McArthur told reporters he was “devastated” by the result as the current system “has been failing dying Scots for too long.” 

But he told ITV News the vote against appeared “inevitable” as “the closer you get to that final vote, the enormity, the significance of what MSPs will be asked to do weighs more and more heavily.”

A dozen MSPs from the Conservatives, Labour and SNP switched sides between the two votes to reject the bill. As a matter of conscience, parliamentarians were given a free vote and did not have to follow a whip.

It marks the third time the Scottish parliament has rejected assisted dying since 1999, though previous bills fell at the first hurdle by far higher margins.

McArthur predicted the issue would return to Holyrood after the May election “for so long as dying Scots continue to suffer as a result of the lack of choice and safety afforded to them by the current law,” which prohibits assisted dying.

The vote followed an evening of impassioned debate, with supporters and opponents offering emotional personal testimonies. Both sides praised McArthur’s handling of the bill and agreed on the need for improved palliative care.

The Scottish government, which retained a neutral position on the bill, said it “remains committed to ensuring that everyone in Scotland who needs it can access well-coordinated, compassionate and high-quality palliative and end of life care.”