MSP rules out reintroducing assisted dying bill after Scottish election

The MSP behind the rejected assisted dying bill has ruled out reintroducing the legislation in the next parliament. Scottish Liberal Democrat Liam McArthur wanted to give dying Scots access to medical help to end their lives - to avoid the suffering of what he describes as "bad deaths". On Tuesday night his bill was defeated by 69 votes to 57, following a moving debate where MSPs laid their emotions bare. The bill would have made the treatment available to terminally ill, mentally competent adults who have been given less than six months to live - but opponents said there were not enough protections against coercion. McArthur was visibly emotional after the defeat and shared embraces with colleagues as the Holyrood chamber emptied. He said that Holyrood's failure to pass the new law was a "woefully inadequate" response to the suffering and trauma experienced by dying Scots. After five years of work on the proposal, he said it was time to pass the baton to someone else after May's Holyrood election. But he also told BBC Scotland News that he was resolute in his views and believed that public support for assisted dying would continue to grow. Speaking to the Around Orkney programme,

Mar 18, 2026 → Apr 2, 2026