We have taken a vital step towards ending terminal suffering
Last night MSPs voted in favour of the general principles of my Assisted Dying Bill and sent it forward for further consideration. This is a significant moment.
Two previous Bills have been considered by the Scottish parliament but never received more than 36 votes in favour.
I always knew that this vote would be close but I was heartened to see MSPs agree to take the next step forward.
In advance of the vote I had asked my colleagues across the parliament to listen to those this Bill is meant to serve: terminally ill Scots facing the end of their lives with unimaginable suffering and far too little choice and control.
This is not an abstract debate. It's about families who witness their loved ones endure unbearable pain.
Assisted dying isn't a radical idea. It's a compassionate one, supported by decades of evidence and practice from around the world.
Under the current law, the only options for too many Scots are to travel abroad to Dignitas at great cost and distress, or to suffer in silence.
If MSPs back my Bill at Stage 3 in a few months' time, we would change that, offering a carefully regulated, medically supervised route for those with a terminal diagnosis and mental capacity to end their lives on their own terms.
The safeguards are strong. Two doctors must independently confirm a terminal illness and capacity, with referrals to specific experts if necessary.
There must be clear consent, understanding of all treatment options available and protections against coercion. No doctor will ever be forced to participate. This is about choice, not obligation.
Indeed, my Bill would put in place safeguards that don't currently exist.
For many years it has been clear that a majority of people in Scotland support change. Public polling is consistent across age range, political affiliation, disability status, geographic area and religious belief.
Today's vote was a free vote with no MSP bound by party line. Joining me in voting in favour were current and former Scottish Conservative leaders Russell Findlay and Jackson Carlaw, SNP Cabinet Secretaries like Gillian Martin and Shirley Anne Somerville, Labour frontbenchers like Daniel Johnson and party leaders from the Greens and Liberal Democrats.
It's not a group you would ever expect to see align on any issue but it shows the breadth of support for a change in the law.
Giving parliament the chance to move to the next stage of considering amendments to my Bill is an important step in standing up for choice, dignity, and compassion at the end of life.
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