Scotland – Rejection of the assisted suicide bill: a strong signal at European level?
On 17 March 2026, the Scottish Parliament rejected the “Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill” at its third reading, by 69 votes to 57. This vote brings to an end a legislative process lasting nearly two years, even though the bill had been approved at first reading in 2025.
Beyond being a mere parliamentary setback, this vote appears to be a significant new signal at European level, coming just a few months after the repeal of the law on assisted suicide in Slovenia via a referendum.
Sponsored by Liberal Democrat MP Liam McArthur, the Scottish bill aimed to authorise assisted suicide for adults with terminal illnesses whose lives were considered to be at risk in the short term.
Presented as a response to situations of severe suffering and equipped with robust safeguards, the bill nevertheless continued to raise fundamental questions regarding its ethical and legal implications.
A rejection based on protecting the most vulnerable and on international experience
The rejection of the bill can be explained primarily by the gradual emergence, during the debates, of major concerns regarding the protection of vulnerable people (‘coercion’). Several MPs felt that the safeguards provided were insufficient to prevent pressures – social, economic or familial – that might weigh on elderly, sick or disabled people.
These concerns were reinforced by consideration of developments observed in countries that have legalised euthanasia or assisted suicide. The case of Canada was specifically cited during the parliamentary hearings: initially limited to certain situations, the system there has undergone successive extensions, to the point of including people not at the end of life and resulting in an exponential rise in the number of euthanasia cases (nearly 8% of deaths in Quebec), prompting strong international criticism, including at the level of the UN.
In this context, many parliamentarians and members of civil society expressed fears regarding an inevitable broadening of the safeguards provided for in the bill, arguing that any legalisation, even when regulated, tends to gradually expand its criteria. Furthermore, opposition from a large section of the medical profession* undoubtedly weighed heavily in the debate. Their concerns centred in particular on the lack of safeguards in the bill regarding the effective protection of healthcare workers’ freedom of conscience or the freedom of institutions that might refuse to participate in assisted dying. Finally, legal reservations were raised regarding the Scottish Parliament’s jurisdiction, particularly concerning the regulation of lethal substances, which falls partly within the remit of the UK Parliament in Westminster.
A signal for the UK and beyond
This vote by the Scottish Parliament comes at a time when a similar bill is being considered in Westminster, aimed at legalising assisted suicide in England and Wales – a bill currently bogged down in parliamentary procedure and also facing significant opposition. The Scottish rejection could thus further undermine this initiative, highlighting the deep divisions within British society and institutions on these issues.
More broadly, this vote is part of an international trend in which several legalisation proposals are facing growing resistance. Slovenia’s recent U-turn, via a referendum, on its assisted suicide law, and the criticism sparked by developments in the Canadian model, reflect a growing awareness of the implications of legalising assisted dying for the concept of medicine, intergenerational solidarity and the protection of the most vulnerable.
* These include, amongst others: the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, the Royal College of GPs Scotland, the Association for Palliative Medicine, the British Geriatrics Society, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, Alzheimer Scotland, and the Glasgow Disability Alliance.
Image: X - Scottish Parliament
