Portrait picture of Lauren Edwards MP with brown hair, a grey jacket and glasses.

Assisted dying bill reintroduced at Westminster: it needs your support in Scotland

June 24, 2026

Assisted Dying

The bill would not apply in Scotland, but there are many reasons to back it nonetheless. We’re encouraging our supporters to write to their MPs in support

A new assisted dying bill for England & Wales

A new assisted dying bill has been introduced in the UK parliament, after the last was undemocratically blocked in the House of Lords.

MPs voted in favour of Kim Leadbeater’s bill last June, but a small number of unelected peers “filibustered” the bill (spoke at great length with the sole purposes of delaying and disrupting the passage of law) until the end of the last parliamentary session, meaning the bill could not pass into law.

Now Lauren Edwards MP has reintroduced the bill. And if MPs vote in favour again, the Parliament Act can be invoked to stop the Lords from blocking the bill a second time.

ASK YOUR MP TO BACK ASSISTED DYING IN ENGLAND AND WALES

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Terminally ill people in England and Wales have been denied the choice of an assisted death in spite of elected lawmakers voting in favour of it. This is an extraordinary subversion of democracy, and it cannot be allowed to stand.

Why this matters for Scotland

So, what does this have to do with Scotland? To be clear, there is a separate process for legalising assisted dying in Scotland. Liam McArthur MSP brought forward a bill during the last parliamentary term. The Scottish Parliament voted for the principle of giving terminally ill adults the choice of an assisted death, but couldn’t agree on the detail. This meant that MSPs voted down the bill at Stage 3 in March this year.

While we were heartbroken by this decision, it was at least the decision of our country’s democratically elected representatives. Terminally ill people in England and Wales have been denied the choice of an assisted death in spite of elected lawmakers voting in favour of it. This is an extraordinary subversion of democracy, and it cannot be allowed to stand.

And that’s not the only reason why supporters of assisted dying in Scotland should pay attention to what’s happening in London. A successful vote in England and Wales will reinvigorate the campaign for assisted dying in Scotland, showing that the momentum is on our side, and reminding MSPs that the vast majority of people in Scotland want to see assisted dying legalised. Finally, some Scottish citizens will be eligible for an assisted death if they are living in England and Wales if Lauren Edward’s bill passes.

Take action: tell your MSP to back the bill

For all these reasons, we’re encouraging our supporters to use Humanists UK’s template to write to their MP asking them to back assisted dying. Just click on the button below to have your say

ASK YOUR MP TO BACK ASSISTED DYING IN ENGLAND AND WALES

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