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Holyrood health committee adopts neutral stance on assisted dying bill

April 30, 2025

Holyrood’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee has published its stage-one report on Liam McArthur’s assisted dying bill. As a matter of conscience, the committee has made no recommendation to MSPs to support or oppose the legislation.

The Scottish Parliament health committee has issued its views on Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill. Committee members have recommended various changes to the bill. They have also highlighted key areas for all MSPs to consider when deciding how to vote. However, given the cross-party recognition that assisted dying is a matter of conscience, the committee has adopted a neutral stance on the legislation overall.

Humanist Society Scotland broadly welcomes these findings. We are pleased that committee members generally support a definition of terminal illness that doesn’t include a fixed time qualification. Arbitrary timeframes for life-expectancy are typically difficult to determine. As such, they can create unnecessary barriers to support for terminally ill people.

We are also pleased that the committee agreed that healthcare professionals who conscientiously object have a minimum obligation to refer patients to supportive clinicians. No eligible patient should be prevented from accessing an assisted death because the medical staff treating them object to the practice.

MSPs are expected to vote on the general principles of the bill in mid-May. We continue to ask our members and supporters to contact their MSPs, urging them to support the bill at every stage (use our email template below). We need compassionate assisted dying laws for Scotland now!

Our CEO Fraser Sutherland said:

“This is a detailed and even-handed report which weighs up the public’s overwhelming desire for change in this area against the need to protect vulnerable groups and individuals. We have always been clear that humanists want to see everyone’s individual rights and autonomy over their own bodies respected. We now look forward to working constructively with government and other stakeholders to ensure the fairest and most watertight bill possible. While we remain disappointed that no terminally ill people were called to give oral evidence during the health committee’s sessions, it’s time to push the process forwards and give those people the choice, control, and compassion they deserve.”

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