The Scottish Parliament has today voted against Liam McArthur MSP’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, by 69 votes to 57, with 1 abstention, rejecting legislation that would have legalised assisted dying in Scotland. The Bill was introduced in March 2024 and reached its final Stage 3 vote at Holyrood today, Tuesday 17 March.
My Death, My Decision said the result is a travesty for terminally ill adults and their families, and a profound missed opportunity after years of scrutiny, debate and clear public support for reform. MSPs have ultimately failed to act for the very people this Bill was designed to help, denying dying people in Scotland the choice and autonomy they deserve at the end of life.
Patricia Donoghue, from Glasgow, is a former nurse whose husband Kevan died from a rare bile duct cancer after weeks of suffering. Patricia has spoken publicly about the PTSD she experienced after his death and about her belief that, had assisted dying been available, Kevan would have chosen it.
Patricia Donoghue said:
“I can’t easily put into words how devastating this vote is for families like mine. My husband Kevan suffered terribly at the end of his life, and that experience stayed with me for years. No family should have to watch someone they love go through that when a safer, more compassionate choice could exist. 
“What more are dying people and their families expected to do to prove the need for change? The evidence is there. The stories are there. The public support is there. And yet people are still being told to wait. Wait for what, and for how many more years?
Graham Winyard, Board Member of My Death, My Decision, said:
“The Scottish Parliament has failed the terminally ill people of Scotland. MSPs have allowed themselves to be swayed by religious minorities and unfounded scaremongering. This is a bitterly disappointing result for terminally ill adults in Scotland and for the families who have campaigned, shared their stories and waited far too long for change.
“The public has been clear time and again, in Scotland and across the UK, that dying people should have a choice at the end of life. Concerns about safeguards have been raised and addressed through extensive scrutiny. It is outrageous that parliamentarians are still standing in the way of change. Dying people themselves do not have the luxury to keep waiting for politicians to get this right, and they are the ones who pay the price.”
During debate, Liam McArthur, the bill’s sponsor, reminded MSPs:
“Not passing this bill has consequences. The issue won’t go away. Indeed, numbers affected will only rise. All we do by putting off changing the law is push decisions overseas and behind closed doors.”
The Bill would have allowed eligible terminally ill adults in Scotland to legally request an assisted death. To qualify, a person would have needed to:
- Lived in Scotland for at least 12 months
- Be registered with a Scottish GP
- Be terminally ill
- Have mental capacity
- Be reasonably expected to die within six months of assessment
Individuals would first have signed an initial declaration, been assessed independently by two medics including consideration of any pressure or coercion, and then completed a reflection period of 14 days, reducible to 48 hours if death was expected sooner. If they still wished to proceed, they would have made a second declaration before being provided with an approved substance, which the Bill said must be self-administered.
The vote comes after extensive parliamentary scrutiny. Over 300 amendments were debated during Stage 3, a high number by Holyrood standards, and a clear demonstration of just how much scrutiny this Bill has been given. Recent constituency-level polling said support for a change in the law exists in every Scottish constituency, with 78% support overall.
Notes
- The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill was introduced by Liam McArthur MSP on 27 March 2024. The Bill passed Stage 1 in May 2025 by 70 votes to 56, and entered its final parliamentary stage this month. It reached Stage 3 in the Scottish Parliament and fell on Tuesday 17 March 2026.
- Under the Scottish Parliament summary, the Bill would have allowed terminally ill adults in Scotland, who met the eligibility criteria, to lawfully request and receive assistance by health professionals to end their own life.
My Death, My Decision is a grassroots campaign group that wants the law in England and Wales to allow mentally competent adults who are terminally ill or intolerably suffering from an incurable condition the option of a legal, safe and compassionate assisted death.
My Death, My Decision is a member of the Assisted Dying Coalition, along with Friends at the End, Humanist Society Scotland, and End of Life Choices Jersey.
For further comment or information, media should contact Kerry Hogan at kerry.hogan@mydeath-mydecision.org.uk or phone 07922363248. (media only)
