Scotland's Parliament Votes against Assisted Suicide in Pro-Life Victory

Raymond Wolfe : Mar 18, 2026
LifeSiteNews.com

Scotland would have been the first part of the UK to legalize assisted suicide, but lawmakers rejected the bill in a 69-57 vote on Tuesday night.

(Edinburgh, Scotland) — [LifeSiteNews.com] The Scottish Parliament rejected a bill that would have legalized euthanasia in the country, in a major victory for the right to life. (Image: Pixabay)

Scottish MSPs voted down the so-called "assisted dying" legislation on Tuesday night in a 69–57 vote, with one member abstaining. Twelve MSPs who supported the bill last May switched their votes over concerns about the risk of coercion, lack of oversight, and other problems, dooming the legislation.

The failed vote comes as a similar bill in the UK Parliament pushed by leftist Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces massive backlash and is also expected to fail.

Various prominent liberal MSPs opposed the euthanasia bill, including First Minister John Swinney, as well as Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and deputy leader Jackie Baillie.

Baillie called Tuesday's vote the most "consequential of the devolution era" and raised concerns about the lack of funding for palliative care.

Ruth Maguire, an SNP MSP diagnosed with cervical cancer, likewise advocated against the bill, saying it "frightens" her.

"My blood runs cold thinking about sitting in a room in hospital and having a doctor raise [assisted suicide] with me as we weigh up treatment options," she said. "In voting against the bill I'm just choosing to vote for the inherent dignity of life and I urge colleagues to do the same."

Scotland, a highly secularized country, would have been the first part of the UK to legalize assisted suicide... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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