FIRST Minister John Swinney has said he opposes plans to legalise assisted dying in Scotland.
LibDem MSP Liam McArthur has introduced a bill which would introduce the right to assisted death for terminally ill, mentally competent adults.
The Scottish parliament is due to have a free vote on the legislation on May 13, meaning each MSP will vote according to their conscience, not party lines.
Speaking at the SNP’s 2026 Holyrood campaign launch on Wednesday, Swinney said he understood that his personal position on the issue was nonetheless of great interest to people, and that he would spell it out the following day.
The First Minister then called media to his office at Holyrood on Thursday and said he opposed the plans to legalise assisted dying. He explained that he had considered abstaining on the vote, but did not want to appear "passive" on such an important issue.
Swinney said he is concerned backing such legislation would “fundamentally alter” the relationship between doctors and their patients “in an irrevocable and detrimental fashion”.
He also said: “I am concerned that those who are vulnerable in our society, and those who may consider themselves a burden to their families or to the state, may feel undue pressure to end their life prematurely.
“I can see no means of avoiding such a situation emerging in relation to the bill.”
Swinney paid tribute to McArthur, saying his “careful and diligent work” had led to a “much better bill” than previous attempts.
“I do not set out my views today in order to seek to influence anyone else’s vote.
“I am simply conscious because I hold the office of First Minister people are understandably keen to hear what the First Minister thinks about the legislation.”
Dr Gordon Macdonald, the chief executive of Care Not Killing, the campaign group leading opposition to the bill, said the First Minister “sees the dangers of the proposals”.
“This bill cannot proceed safely,” Macdonald went on. “The Scottish Government stated the bill is not fit for purpose when the Health Secretary told the health committee ‘the bill … is outside the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament’.
“MSPs should not sanction the progress of this bill which is not fit for purpose.”
Last October, Health Secretary Neil Gray told MSPs that he believed the bill was outwith Holyrood's powers as issues relating to end-of-life drugs are reserved to Westminster.
Responding to the First Minister's announcement, Ally Thomson, the director of Dignity in Dying Scotland, which supports the bill, said: “The sad truth is that if MSPs were to vote against extending safe and compassionate choice to dying Scots many more terminally ill people will suffer and the harm created by the blanket ban on assisted dying will persist.
"Doing nothing is the worst thing Parliament can do here.
She added: "I am optimistic that Tuesday’s vote will bring a breakthrough for terminally ill Scots who are desperate for more choice. The mood of the Parliament seems to have caught up with the views of the vast majority of Scottish people – that it is time for a more compassionate and safe law.”
On Wednesday, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said he would also vote against the bill, saying: "We should be looking at how we properly deliver quality palliative care across the country."
Also on Wednesday, the Humanist Society said the Scottish public support assisted dying, and called on MSPs to be "brave" and back the legislation.
Fraser Sutherland, the group's chief executive, added: "We have a chance on May 13 to set in motion a law change that would transform end-of-life experiences for terminally ill people experiencing or worried about a painful death. It would also bring peace and comfort to their loved ones and families.”
