188 Doctors Beg Scotland to Kill Its Assisted Suicide Bill Before It Kills Patients

Scotland Assisted Suicide Bill Faces Fierce Opposition From 188 Doctors and Church Leaders Before Final Vote

Nearly 200 medical professionals have signed an open letter urging the Scottish Parliament to reject the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, just days before a final vote scheduled for March 17, 2026.

The 188 doctors and nurses outlined six major concerns in their letter: the risk of coercion, the inability to withdraw consent once the process begins, inadequate protections for mentally ill patients, insufficient provisions for conscientious objectors, failure to address patients' social needs, and a lack of quality palliative care.

We care for people at their most vulnerable. In our professional judgement, the Bill as it stands does not contain sufficiently robust safeguards.

Dr. Jonathan Blackwell, one of the signatories, emphasized that the bill fails to protect patients from coercion and unmet care needs.

Seven major medical organizations have also expressed what they called "significant collective concern" over the legislation. These include the Association for Palliative Medicine (Scotland), the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland, the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland, the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, the Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

The vote is expected to be extremely close, though momentum appears to be shifting against the bill. During the Stage 3 debate, 86% of MSPs who expressed an opinion spoke against the legislation, with 18 out of 21 speakers opposing it.

Two parliamentarians, John Mason and Paul O'Kane, have introduced amendments that would allow healthcare providers, faith based institutions, charities, and educational establishments to opt out of participating in or facilitating assisted suicide.

Scottish Church Leaders Unite With Medical Professionals Against Assisted Dying Legislation

Scottish church leaders have joined the medical community in opposing the bill, issuing a powerful statement against the proposed law.

True compassion does not mean helping someone to die, but committing ourselves to care for them in life.

Scottish bishops have also raised alarm that removing the "no duty to participate" clause and employment protections from the primary legislation would weaken transparency and robustness, leaving critical matters to a process with limited parliamentary scrutiny. They have argued that the bill as drafted violates religious freedom by potentially forcing faith based institutions to participate in assisted suicide.

The Crusader's Opinion

When 188 doctors tell you a bill is dangerous, you listen. When seven of your nation's top medical bodies say the safeguards are not there, you stop and think. But the architects of this death legislation press on anyway, because this was never about compassion. It was about normalizing the disposal of the vulnerable. The same society that claims to champion human rights now wants to hand terminally ill patients a poison pill instead of proper palliative care. Scotland's church leaders are right: true compassion means fighting for life, not fast tracking death. If this bill passes, every disabled person, every elderly patient, every depressed soul will live under the shadow of a society that decided some lives are not worth the effort.

Take Action

• Write to your MSP directly urging a NO vote on March 17. Find your MSP at parliament.scot/msps
• Sign the Right to Life UK petition at righttolife.org.uk/scotlandvote-stage3
• Share this article on social media and in your church community to raise awareness before the vote
• Pray for Scotland's MSPs to have the courage to defend life and reject this dangerous legislation
• Support organizations defending the sanctity of life. Donate at www.TheShepherdsShield.org