McArthur welcomes victory for Assisted Dying bill at stage one

Responding to his Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill passing stage one by 70 to 56, Liam McArthur MSP said:

“This is a landmark moment for Scotland. I am pleased that after four years of careful and diligent work, the Scottish Parliament has backed the general principles of my bill.

“I understand that for many colleagues this has been a difficult decision but I believe the quality of debate today has shown our Parliament at its finest.

“Over the coming months, I will continue to have discussions with my parliamentary colleagues, medical bodies and legal experts to ensure that this bill is robustly safeguarded so that terminally ill adults can have the choice of accessing assisted dying, alongside other palliative care and support at the end of life.

“This bill has been a long time coming but, at long last, it can offer that compassionate choice for the small number of terminally ill Scots who need it.”