Scottish assisted dying bill passes first vote
A bill to legalise assisted dying in Scotland has passed an initial vote at Holyrood.
The proposals would allow terminally-ill, mentally competent adults to seek medical help to end their lives.
A vote on the bill's general principles passed by 70 votes to 56.
It would need to clear two more phases of parliamentary scrutiny before it could become law.
MSPs at Holyrood pass first stage of assisted dying bill
How do Scots feel about the assisted dying bill?
The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill would allow people to request medical assistance to end their own life – but only if they had a terminal illness and had been ruled mentally fit to make the decision by two doctors.
During a highly emotional but measured debate, MSPs cited powerful testimony from family members and constituents.
Supporters described the bill as a progressive move to ease the suffering of dying Scots.
However opponents raised concerns about safeguards for some of the most vulnerable people in society.
Brought forward by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur, the bill was the third proposed assisted dying law to be voted on at Holyrood since 2010. The two previous bills failed to pass stage one.
McArthur told BBC Scotland News he was "delighted" and "relieved" but said there was more work to be done.
It comes after a bill to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales passed a stage one vote at Westminster in November.
Opening the debate, an emotional McArthur told MSPs: "Today we can take a significant step forward giving terminally ill adults across Scotland more choice.
"It's a brave step, yes, but it's a compassionate one.
"And it is a step I believe Scotland is ready to take."
The Scottish Parliament held a free vote on the bill – meaning MSPs were not told how to vote by their parties or the government.
The proposals were supported by Conservative leader Russell Findlay and Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, as well as Scottish Green co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater.
The Scottish government is officially neutral on the matter. Health Secretary Neil Gray, who spoke on behalf of the government during the debate, abstained from the vote.
First Minister John Swinney and Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes confirmed before the debate that they would not support the bill, as did Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
Swinney said the bill had been debated with "dignity, courtesy and respect".
He added that "significant issues" about the bill would be raised at the next stage of parliamentary scrutiny.
Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy, the first permanent wheelchair user to be elected to Holyrood, has been among the most vocal critics of the bill.
She told parliament she was "deeply worried" about the consequences of legalising assisted dying, which she said could put disabled people at risk.
The MSP said if the bill passed she feared it would "be easier to access help to die than help to live".
She warned it could "legitimise a view that a life like ours, one of dependence and often pain, is not worth living".
Others opposed to the bill, including former first minster Nicola Sturgeon, have raised concerns about the potential for "coercion" and warned the definition of a terminal illness was too broad.
Ex-Tory leader Douglas Ross echoed concerns that the legislation would lead to a so-called slippery slope, fearing that access to assisted dying would widen over time.
Several parliamentarians spoke of their own relatives' experiences.
SNP MSP Elena Whitham told parliament about her mother, Irene, who died aged 58 just five weeks after being diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2014.
"Her last decision on this earth was to starve herself to hasten her inevitable death," Whitham said. "It was awful."
She added: "My mum deserved to plan a compassionate death.
"No-one should be forced to starve themselves."
McArthur insisted the bill would impose "strict eligibility criteria" and that concerns about a "slippery slope" had been raised in countries where assisted dying had since been successfully introduced.
Addressing concerns for disabled people, he said: "Denying dying Scots more choice will not enhance the lives of those with a disability, nor do I believe would it be acceptable for a person with a disability who meets the eligibility criteria under my bill to be denied the same choice as anyone else."
MSPs will be able to further scrutinise the bill at stage two, where they can also propose changes.
Another vote on the final draft of the bill would need to be held before it could become legislation.
The most recent Holyrood vote on assisted dying, in 2015, was defeated at stage one by 82 votes to 36.
That bill was tabled by the late independent MSP Margo MacDonald, who died in 2014 after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
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