Liam McArthur ‘confident’ MSPs will back assisted dying

Like Westminster, Scotland will hold a free vote on assisted dying – which means MSPs will not be instructed on how to vote by their parties.

Politicians including former First Minister Humza Yousaf and Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy have indicated they would vote against it.

It is also opposed by the Church of Scotland, the Catholic Church in Scotland, and the Scottish Association of Mosques.

Bishop John Keenan, the Bishop of Paisley and president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland said it was a “sad day” for the sick, vulnerable and disabled people in society.

He said: “Today’s vote strikes a blow against the foundational principle of medicine ‘do no harm’.

“Since parliamentarians have voted to create a category of people that the state will help to commit suicide, doctors will now be invited to help their patients to kill themselves.”

Bishop Keenan also claimed laws introduced around the world have been “rapidly and dangerously expanded.

The US state of Oregon’s laws have remained restricted to terminally ill adults since their introduction in 1997 – though a residency requirement has been lifted.

Canada however is often cited as an example of the so-called “slippery slope” – a place where assisted dying has been extended and made available to more people, including those with disabilities, since it was introduced in 2016.