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As Scotland’s final vote on assisted suicide draws closer, opponents of the bill say that support for the controversial measure is “draining away”.
MSPs are still debating the bill and, according to analysis by Right To Life UK, there were six times more MSPs speaking against it than speaking in favour.
Already the leader of the Scottish Conservative Party has indicated that he will now be voting against the bill, having previously supported it. Russell Findlay MSP claimed he could no longer support the bill as the “risks are too great”.
Critics of the bill have repeatedly raised concerns that vulnerable people could be coerced into terminating their own lives and that the eligibility criteria for assisted suicide is likely to expand as has happened in countries where it is already legal.
The final vote on the issue is due to take place on 17 March and is expected to be very tight.
Scottish political commentator, Lois McLatchie Miller, said support for the bill “is draining away by the day”.
“On Monday, Russell Findlay joined two other MSPs who had previously supported the Bill in announcing that he would be opposing it,” she said.
“On Tuesday, we had the first day of the Stage 3 debate on the Bill, where the overwhelming majority of MSPs who took a clear position in the chamber spoke against the Bill.
“They made it resoundingly clear that this Bill is not safe and Scotland should not risk it. The Bill is now on course to be defeated when it is voted on this coming Tuesday.”
In the last week a range of medical professionals and church leaders have spoken out against legalising assisted suicide, citing both safety and moral concerns.
This week the Catholic Church in Scotland has also publicly urged MSPs to vote against assisted suicide, noting that amendments providing conscience clauses to the bill have been rejected.
Concerns have been raised that without such clauses, Christian care homes could be faced with the choice of being legally required to provide assisted suicide or else closing down, further damaging palliative care provision.
Bishop John Keenan, President of the Bishop’s Conference Scotland, said that “every organisation has guiding values that shape its mission and practice”.
“For many faith‑based organisations, including Catholic hospices and care homes, these values are fundamentally incompatible with the introduction of assisted suicide,” he said.
“The Bishops’ Conference maintains that no organisation should be compelled by the State to participate in the deliberate ending of life when doing so would violate its ethical or religious principles.
“The Bishops’ Conference urges the Scottish Government and MSPs to recognise and respect institutional conscience rights, ensuring that organisations are not forced into actions that contradict their foundational values.”
