Scotland Votes On Assisted Suicide

Why Scotland's Assisted Dying Bill Puts Disabled Lives at Risk

On 13 May 2025, Scottish MSPs will vote on legislation that could endanger disabled and terminally ill people. The proposed Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill claims to offer choice—but in reality, it threatens the most vulnerable. As a grassroots disability rights group, we’re sounding the alarm: this bill is unsafe, unworkable, and a step backward for equality.

A Flawed and Dangerous Proposal

After months of scrutiny, a Scottish Parliament committee report exposed glaring flaws in the bill. MSPs themselves admitted it raises serious concerns about human rights, coercion, and safeguards. Worse, the bill’s vague eligibility criteria (defining “terminal illness” as any “advanced and progressive” condition expected to cause “premature death”) could open the door to widespread abuse. Even the committee warned that courts could later expand eligibility, eroding protections further.

Why You Should Be Outraged

This bill isn’t about autonomy—it’s about risk. Here’s why:

• Coercion Is Inevitable

No safeguards can fully detect pressure on vulnerable people—like the elderly, disabled, or financially struggling—to choose death to avoid “burdening” others. We’ve seen this tragic pattern in other countries.

• Safeguards Are Illusory

The bill prioritises access over protection. Once legalised, history shows laws often expand (e.g., Canada now permits assisted dying for mental illness). Scotland’s bill lacks ironclad checks to prevent this.

• Palliative Care Will Suffer

Hospices already face a funding crisis. Diverting resources to assisted dying risks collapsing support for those who want to live well, not die sooner.

• It’s About What Kind of Society We Are

This bill frames assisted dying as a “solution” to suffering. But true dignity means investing in quality social care, housing, and palliative support—not offering death as an alternative to neglect.

Act Now to Stop This Bill

What happens in Scotland will ripple across the UK. Westminster debates a similar bill just days after Scotland’s vote. If we don’t act now, we risk normalising a system that abandons the vulnerable.

Here’s how you can help:

1. Contact your MSP before 13 May. Use our tool below to send an email and a physical postcard—doubling your impact.

   
   

2. Demand they vote NO on this bill. Disabled Scots need support to live, not shortcuts to premature death.

👉 Enter your postcode here to email your MSPs instantly. Customize a message or send ours—every voice counts.

This Is About All of Us

Legalising assisted dying sends a dangerous message: that some lives are expendable. We must build a society where no one feels pushed to end their life because they’ve been failed by underfunded care.