A broad coalition of signatories that include medical professionals, legal experts, campaigners and people with lived experience of terminal illness and end-of-life care, has signed an open letter to MSPs urging them to support the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.
Coordinated by Friends at the End (FATE), the open letter to MSPs has been published less than one week before the Scottish Parliament vote on Tuesday 17th March and calls on them to “separate fear from fact” in the final stages of the debate.
Louise Shackleton is one of those speaking out ahead of the vote. Her husband Antony, who had motor neurone disease, travelled to Dignitas in Switzerland for an assisted death in December 2024. Louise has described how having certainty and choice eased Antony’s fear and allowed him to live more peacefully in his final months. She also returned home to months of police investigation while grieving, simply for accompanying her husband.
The signatories state that the vast majority of arguments that oppose the Bill are being driven by fear and misinformation, rather than fact and evidence. The letter to MSPs stresses the safeguards proposed in the legislation, including repeated voluntary requests, mental capacity assessments, independent medical opinion and checks for coercion, alongside a new criminal offence of coercion.
The open letter addresses the common myths that the debate has focused on, including:
- That the status quo protects vulnerable people – when in reality end-of-life decisions that may hasten death already take place within the NHS without a dedicated, transparent legal framework.
- That vulnerable people would be coerced – despite the Bill including repeated voluntary requests, mental capacity assessments, independent medical opinion and a new criminal offence for coercion.
- That legalisation would create a “slippery slope” – although more than 30 years of international evidence shows no uncontrolled expansion where laws are limited to terminal illness.
- That doctors would leave the profession – a claim not supported by evidence from other jurisdictions and addressed through protections for conscientious objection.
- That the medical profession is united in opposition – when in fact clinicians hold a range of views, similar to the wider public.
- That disabled people would be put at risk – even though the Bill explicitly limits eligibility to mentally competent adults who are terminally ill.
Emma Cooper, Convener of Friends at the End (FATE), said: “MSPs now have a choice. They can reflect the clear will of the people they represent and show the progressive leadership Scotland’s Parliament has demonstrated before, or they can maintain a status quo that lacks compassion and leaves some people without options.
“The Bill proposes a tightly defined, compassionate and safeguarded choice for mentally competent adults who are terminally ill, with clear checks on mental capacity and coercion, including a new criminal offence. Opposition to assisted dying is of course legitimate in a democracy, but fear-based arguments and misinformation do not serve this debate. MSPs must listen to dying Scots and vote on the basis of fact, not fear.”
Polling consistently shows strong public support for assisted dying for terminally ill adults in Scotland, with recent surveys suggesting around 81% of people support legalisation within a safeguarded framework, with majority support in every constituency across Scotland.
…ends…
Notes to editors
- The open letter to MSPs, “Separate Fear from Fact on Assisted Dying”, is attached and available for publication.
- Signatories include medical professionals, legal experts, campaigners and individuals with lived experience of terminal illness and end-of-life care.
- Friends at the End (FATE) is a Scotland-based campaign group advocating for choice and compassion at the end of life.
- Polling referenced indicates around 81% public support for assisted dying for terminally ill adults in Scotland.
- Also attached is FATE’s media pack with full details, biogs and areas of specialism of those available for interview.
- Also attached is Louise and Antony Shackleton’s story and key areas Louise can comment on. Please contact Rachel Goddard to arrange media interviews with Louise.
For further information
Rachel Goddard, Account Director, Orbit Communications
rachel.goddard@orbit.scot or 0770 2169485
