News Story

A woman who travelled to Switzerland with her husband so he could be helped to die has urged MSPs to “really, truly listen to the voice of dying Scots”, as they prepare to vote on assisted dying legislation.

Louise Shackleton accompanied her husband Antony, who had motor neurone disease, to Dignitas in 2024 to end his life.

She has now joined forces with medical professionals, legal experts, and those impacted by terminal illness to write to MSPs ahead of next week’s final vote on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.

The letter, co-ordinated by campaign group Friends at the End (Fate), says MSPs must “continue to be as progressive as they have historically proven themselves to be”.

It says the public “overwhelmingly” want choice at the end of their life, and adds there is “majority support in every constituency” for changing the law.

It states: “It has become increasingly clear that much of the loudest opposition is based on fear, not evidence.

“This debate demands you listen, really truly listen, to the voice of dying Scots. Their voices must not be drowned out again.”

Fate convener Emma Cooper 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.”

The letter has been sent to MSPs as Holyrood continues to debate hundreds of amendments to Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur’s Bill which would if passed allow for those with a terminal illness and who have the mental capacity to make the decision to request help to end their life.

Changes introduced to the Bill in amendments this week mean someone must “reasonably be expected to die within six months” before they could have an assisted death.

However another letter, sent from nine disability groups, said they “remain concerned about the impact on thousands of disabled people in Scotland” if assisted dying is legalised.

The groups, who include the Glasgow Disability Alliance and Inclusion Scotland, warn it could be “extremely challenging if not almost impossible to detect” if someone is being coerced into seeking an assisted death.

“No disabled people’s organisation in Scotland or the UK publicly support the Bill,” their letter states.

“We firmly believe the Government should instead be investing more into accessible housing, healthcare and palliative care, inclusive education, social care support and more to improve the lives of disabled people rather than to end them.”

MSPs who support Mr McArthur’s Bill have also written to colleagues at Holyrood on the issue.

The group, which includes SNP, Labour, Conservative, Green and Liberal Democrat MSPs, say the legislation “will make assisted dying the most safeguarded end of life option”.

It adds that “300 million people around the world already have access to some form of assisted dying”, and there is “no evidence of abuse of these laws”.

Assisted dying supporters, including Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton, Labour’s Monica Lennon, Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie from the Scottish Greens, and Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw insist: “The current situation cannot continue it is demonstrably cruel, dangerous and ineffective.

“It denies dying people choice and fails to protect anyone.”