MSPs prepare for final amendments to assisted dying bill

MSPs are preparing for the first of three marathon sessions where amendments to a Bill legalising assisted dying will be considered.

If passed, the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill would allow terminally ill, mentally competent adults to seek to end their lives.

The legislation, tabled by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, is expected to go to a final vote next week.

However, Holyrood members will first have to wade through about 300 proposed changes to the Bill, which will be debated in the chamber across three days, starting on Tuesday.

The Scottish Parliament is expected to sit until 22:00 during each session.

The legislation has proved controversial and narrowly passed a stage one vote by 70 to 56 in May last year.

Under the current proposals, two independent medical professionals would be required to confirm a person is terminally ill and has mental capacity before assistance could be provided.

McArthur, who is the MSP for Orkney, has indicated support for one of the amendments, limiting access to those with six months or less to live.

Other MSPs have raised concerns over safeguarding and potential coercion of terminally ill people.

McArthur said the legislation had already been subjected to five years of scrutiny and urged MSPs to avoid "kicking the can down the road" when it came to the final vote.

"This is the right Bill at the right time. It's time to give terminally ill Scots that compassionate choice," he said.

"Over the last five years, it has drawn record levels of public consultation and engagement with stakeholders as well as going through a comprehensive parliamentary process.

"MSPs must not hunt for excuses as this issue is certainly not going away."

Supporters and opponents of the Bill have gathered outside the Scottish Parliament ahead of each stage of the process.

Several amendments to the legislation have already been made since it was initially proposed.

Most notably, the minimum age at which people can seek to end their life has been raised from 16 to 18.

Eligible people must also be resident in Scotland for at least 12 months and registered with a Scottish GP.

MSPs will be allowed a free vote on the issue, meaning they will not be whipped by their parties.

Last year, the first minister said that he would not support the Bill before the stage one vote.

John Swinney said he was concerned "vulnerable people in our society" may come to feel like a "burden" and "feel under pressure to end their lives prematurely".

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has also said he will vote against it.

And on Monday, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay confirmed he would not vote for the Bill, after supporting it at Stage One.

Various forms of assisted dying are already legal in the likes of Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Similar legislation was backed by MPs in 2024, but it has since made slow progress at the House of Commons.

Lawmakers in Jersey, in the Channel Islands, approved their version of the law last month.