Meeting of the Parliament 17 March 2026 [Draft]
In my five years as an MSP, I have had the great honour of hearing directly from people across my region and across Scotland. Many of those people have experiences well outside my own, and I value all those interactions and take them very seriously. I therefore want to thank everyone who has contacted me about the bill.
I am here to serve, and that is exactly what I intend to do today. Few groups have affected me as much as those pleading with us to pass the bill. What I have come to understand is that choice at the end of life really matters. The experience is one that any of us might encounter in one way or another; however, until we do, it can seem like an abstract or far-off consideration. We cannot allow ourselves to imagine that we might have to consider assisted dying.
People who have had this experience, or who are having this experience as we speak, are watching us today, awaiting a vote that signals to them that their concerns have been heard and that their lives remain their own. Those same people watched last week as we constructively debated the issues and assessed the amendments—the longest such process that we have had, certainly in my time here at Holyrood. No one can say that the bill has not received serious and considered scrutiny, and I thank my fellow members for that.
I remind colleagues in the chamber that there is widespread public support for legislation on assisted dying. Are we, as parliamentarians in Scotland, going to simply ignore the fact that public opinion is moving towards such reform? I truly hope not. I believe that we need this legislation and that to turn our back once again on compassion and choice would be a grave mistake, driven by fear.
Polling suggests that around 76 per cent of people across my South Scotland region support legislating on assisted dying; indeed, the figure is broadly similar in every region. I want to be clear: this bill is about choice; it has strong public backing; and it has received unprecedented scrutiny and constructive debate. That is how democracy should work—it is the basis for good legislation that will stand the test of time. In that spirit, and in line with the principles that I have strongly held since I worked in the NHS, I will cast my vote today for the people who are suffering now, for those who will suffer in the future and for everyone who simply wants a fair and compassionate option in the likely final six months of a terminal illness.
I entered politics to help people and to empower them, and the bill does both. It might not be a comfortable or an easy subject—I accept that—but this is all about taking a compassionate approach that best serves the complex experiences of so many people across Scotland.
At times, I have been dismayed at how little meaningful legislation makes it through the chamber. A great deal of time, public funds and people’s hopes are invested in our democratic processes, and I fear that, due to excessive caution or needless delay, we do not provide the public with many examples by which they can measure our worth. Today, we can provide such an example.
I will close by offering my thanks to Liam McArthur MSP and his team, who have done such great work in navigating the bill through the Parliament. Without that steadfast and constructive approach, we would not be at this stage to begin with.
I urge my fellow MSPs to please not delay compassion or delay the ability to help others. Let us pass this historic bill and end this session having truly changed Scotland instead of just maintaining the status quo. Let us give dying people the chance to decide their last moment for themselves.