Ahead of the forthcoming stage 3 vote on the Assisted Suicide Bill before the Members of Scottish Parliament (MSPs), Christian Leaders in Scotland have petitioned the lawmakers to rescind their decision on passing the bill, citing the guarantee of equal worth and dignity of every human person.
In an Open Letter to the legislators ahead of the Stage 3 Vote on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, signed by 7 leaders of Christian Churches, the clerics urged the politicians to vote against the bill.
“We write as Christian leaders in Scotland because we believe Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying Bill touches one of the most important moral questions of our time – how we care for one another at the end of life,” the letter reads in part.
It further explained that “While we understand the deeply felt desire to relieve suffering, permitting doctors to assist in ending life undermines human dignity.”
Stressing the dangers and risks involved with the assisted dying bill, the Christian leaders stated that “However carefully framed, such legislation risks normalising the idea that some lives are no longer worth living”, they, therefore cautioned that “It would expose the most vulnerable – the elderly, the disabled, and those who feel themselves to be a burden – to subtle pressure and coercion that no safeguard can fully prevent.”
The leaders of the Christian community in Scotland noted that “true compassion does not mean helping someone to die,” rather than “committing ourselves to care for them in life.”
They advised the authorities that “Scotland should invest in first-class palliative and end-of-life care, ensuring that no one faces pain, fear, or loneliness without support.”
Taking a leap from countries who have passed the bill, the Christian leaders cautioned the Scottish authorities from repeating the same mistakes.
According to them, “Courts and legislatures in Canada and Australia have grappled with the consequences of assisted dying laws,” adding that “eligibility has expanded, safeguards have been challenged, and concerns about coercion and misuse have arisen.”
The clerics urged the members of parliament to vote against the bill to avoid a repeat of the mistakes of other countries.
They called on Holyrood “To stand for the equal worth and dignity of every human life, and to vote against this legislation at stage 3”, affirming that “A truly compassionate society accompanies those who suffer; it does not abandon them to an early death.”
The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill was formally introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 27 March 2024 by the Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, and is currently at Stage 3 of the parliamentary process, with a final vote in Holyrood scheduled for Tuesday 17 March 2026, which will allow terminally ill, mentally competent adults to request medical assistance to end their lives.
The signatories include Rt. Rev. Rosemary Frew, Moderator Church of Scotland; Bishop John Keenan, President of Bishops’ Conference of Scotland; Rev. Alasdair Macleod, Moderator, Free Church of Scotland; Rev. Martin Keane, Moderator, United Free Church of Scotland; Major David Burns, Executive Secretary to Leadership (Scotland), Salvation Army; Andy Hunter, Director for Scotland, Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches; Alistair Matheson, Scottish Regional Superintendent for the Apostolic Church, UK,
