The Scottish Parliament has voted down Liam McArthur’s landmark Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill by 69 to 57, leaving families, campaigners and dying Scots devastated. After years of preparation and an emotional 12-hour debate in Holyrood, the legislation fell just seven votes short of the 64 needed to pass.
Yet within minutes of the result, McArthur told reporters the conversation “is not going away”. With an election just weeks away on 7 May, the question now is: who picks up the torch next?
A Night of Raw Emotion in Holyrood
Thursday’s debate was one of the most moving in Holyrood’s 25-year history.
MSPs from every party spoke through tears. Some shared stories of loved ones who suffered unbearable deaths. Others spoke of their faith or fear of a “slippery slope”. Conservative MSP Annie Wells revealed her own terminal diagnosis during the debate, saying she still opposed the bill because safeguards could never be tight enough.
“I watched my mum die in agony. No one should have to go through that.”
That single sentence from SNP MSP Emma Harper echoed what thousands of Scots told the Health Committee over the past three years.
In the end, 36 SNP members voted Yes, 21 voted No, and two abstained. Labour split almost down the middle. Every Conservative and almost every Liberal Democrat backed the bill, but it wasn’t enough.
This Was the Closest Scotland Has Ever Come
Liam McArthur’s bill is the third attempt in 16 years and by far the strongest.
- 2010: Margo MacDonald’s End of Life Assistance Bill – rejected 85 to 16
- 2015: Patrick Harvie’s Assisted Suicide Bill – rejected 82 to 36
- 2025: McArthur’s bill – passed Stage 1 (70-56) but failed at Stage 3 (57-69)
The 2024 Stage 1 victory was the first time Holyrood ever backed the principle of assisted dying. Over 175 amendments were debated and 39 were accepted, making this the most heavily scrutinised private member’s bill in Scottish history.
Dignity in Dying Scotland called it “the safest, most robust bill anywhere in the British Isles”.
What Happens After 7 May?
Everything now depends on the election.
Liam McArthur is standing again in Orkney. If he is returned, he has already confirmed he will re-introduce the bill in the first weeks of the new parliament. Sources close to the Lib Dems say the party will make assisted dying a manifesto commitment.
Senior figures in both Labour and the SNP have privately told campaigners they expect the issue to return “within months” of the new session, regardless of who wins.
Polls continue to show overwhelming public support:
- 78% of Scots back assisted dying for terminally ill adults (YouGov, Jan 2025)
- 81% say Holyrood should try again if the bill falls (Survation, April 2025)
The British Isles Are Moving – Scotland Risks Being Left Behind
While Holyrood said No, the rest of the British Isles is saying Yes.
- Isle of Man: law passed, due to start summer 2027
- Jersey: law passed November 2024, implementation underway
- England & Wales: Esther Rantzen’s campaign pushed the Westminster bill through the Commons in June 2024; now stuck in the Lords but widely expected to pass by 2026
Every week that passes, more terminally ill Scots are forced to travel alone to Dignitas in Switzerland or suffer against their wishes.
Rose Ewing from Glasgow, who has motor neurone disease, watched the vote from the public gallery in tears. “I’m running out of time,” she told BBC Scotland afterwards. “Please don’t make me die in pain.”
The fight for the right to choose a peaceful, dignified death is not over. It has only just begun.
What do you think Holyrood should do next? Drop your thoughts below and use #MyDeathMyDecision if you’re sharing on social media – the campaign needs your voice now more than ever.
