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Assisted dying: Legislation has widespread support in Scotland

BMJ 2022; 378 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o2205 (Published 12 September 2022) Cite this as: BMJ 2022;378:o2205
  1. Bryan Christie
  1. Edinburgh

A bill to legalise assisted dying in Scotland is to be introduced in its parliament, after a public consultation showed overwhelming support for the measure.

Just over three quarters (76%) of the 14 038 responses received to the consultation were fully supportive of draft proposals to enable terminally ill, mentally competent adults to receive help to end their lives.

Liam McArthur, a Liberal Democrat member of the Scottish parliament who has drawn up the proposals, now plans to formally introduce a bill, which he hopes will make Scotland the first part of the UK to legalise assisted dying.

This will be the third attempt to introduce legislation in Scotland, but opinion seems to be shifting in favour of a law change. A consultation …

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