In the weeks before the final vote in the Scottish Parliament on Liam McArthur MSP’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, new findings from the British Social Attitudes Survey show that an overwhelming majority of Scots (81%) support assisted dying for terminally ill people.
The report notes that the public has long been in support of a change in the law, and that this support remains unchanged despite the intensive debate regarding the issue over the last year.
Ally Thomson, Director of Dignity in Dying Scotland, said: “These findings are a powerful reminder that the Scottish public has long supported giving dying people the choice and control they desperately need, and that this support has not wavered despite intense scrutiny and debate.
“Without a change in the law terminally ill Scots facing a bad death are forced to contemplate a series of desperate decisions, from trying to go to Switzerland, stopping eating and drinking, taking matters into their own hands in lonely and often brutal ways, or suffering against their will. The most dangerous thing the Parliament can do here is nothing and allow this situation to persist.
“When MSPs voted in favour of Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying Bill at Stage 1 last year, they gave dying Scots and those who had watched a loved one suffer real hope that such suffering will be consigned to the past.
“It’s clear that the public expect the Scottish Parliament to deliver on this issue and pass the Bill next month.”
Emma Cooper, Convenor, Friends at the End (FATE) said: ““It is very clear that there is sustained, overwhelming public support from Scottish people for assisted dying to be introduced in Scotland.
“No one should have to endure a bad death because the law has failed to provide a compassionate choice.
“Too many people have suffered and seen loved ones suffer unnecessarily.
“MSPs should listen to the will of the people and pass this deeply considered and highly safeguarded legislation, rather than listening to misleading information perpetuated by a few loud and misrepresentative voices.”
The British Social Attitudes Survey 2025 is available from: https://natcen.ac.uk/