Assisted dying

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Legislation to allow assisted dying is now being considered by the Scottish Parliament. The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill is a Member's Bill by Liam McArthur MSP. The Bill, if it was to become a new law, would allow terminally ill adults in Scotland to ask for assistance in ending their own lives.

The Church of Scotland supports the current law, which prohibits assisted dying. The 2025 General Assembly acknowledged that there are a diversity of sincerely held theological views within our broad Church, but nevertheless reaffirmed the Church of Scotland's long- held opposition to assisted dying.

General Assembly 2025

You can read a report to the General Assembly (May 2025) from a task group set up to examine the theological and ethical issues around assisted dying.

You can watch the General Assembly debate on our YouTube channel.

The General Assembly agreed:

  • Affirm that every human being is made in the image of God with inherent dignity and worth.
  • Affirm our belief in God with us in life and at the end of life, and the gift of the resurrection, as contained in the Book of Confessions.
  • Acknowledging that the introduction of assisted dying legislation has the potential to negatively impact the quality and accessibility of palliative and end-of-life care, call on the Scottish Government to prioritise development of excellent palliative care services to ensure that they are universally available and urgently to review the funding models currently in place.
  • Acknowledging the diversity of sincerely held theological views within our broad Church, re-affirm the Church of Scotland's opposition to assisted dying.
  • Agree that if assisted dying is legalised, robust safeguards must be in place for all involved including medical staff whose ethical and moral principles should be respected and to support and protect potentially vulnerable groups including those with life limiting illnesses, disabilities, mental health issues and dementia.
  • Acknowledge that further resources and pastoral care training will be required, from FAPLT, should assisted dying be legalised.
  • Recognising the value of open discussion around death and dying, commend the Report for further study, reflection and dialogue.
  • Affirm the understanding that suicide is not an unforgivable sin, and that sensitive pastoral care of those whose lives are affected by suicide is an inherent reflection of Christ's compassion to the bereaved.

The Scottish Parliament Bill

In the summer of 2024, the Parliament's Health, Social Care and Sport Committee invited views from individuals and organisations about the Assisted Dying Bill as part of its research and scrutiny. The Church of Scotland's Public Life and Social Justice Programme Group responded on behalf of the Church on 16 August 2024.

The Bill passed Stage 1 in May 2025. This means MSPs voted to support the general principles of the Bill. It will now be looked at in more detail by MSPs and they will have chance to amend the Bill before a final decision is taken.

At the same time, a separate Bill which would only cover England and Wales, is being considered by the UK Parliament.

The Church, through the work of ministers, elders and members offering pastoral care, has extensive experience of walking with people in the final stages of their lives. This includes supporting the family and friends of a dying person, and through marking a person's death by leading funeral services.

This experience has underlined the Church's urgent call for greater provision of palliative and end of life care.

Church of Scotland perspectives

Pastoral care and relationships

There are various reasons why people may seek assisted dying after a terminal diagnosis. Sometimes it is not due to incurable pain, but rather ‘existential distress', that is, anxiety or despair over their diagnosis and its effects. Helping those in this situation is one of the core callings of the Church. The Church has the privilege of coming alongside people as they wrestle with illness and death, often making healthcare choices different to what we might choose for ourselves. This would remain the same, whether or not there should there be a change in the law; the Church would still be there to offer pastoral care with love, support, and prayer to all who seek it.

Sanctity of life

Christians affirm that human beings are made in the image of God. For Christians, human life is sacred, and all people reflect the goodness of God simply by existing. It can therefore be argued that any action that negatively impacts someone's health or wellbeing contravenes the sovereignty of God. Across the spectrum of Christian opinion on assisted dying, there is agreement that our fundamental dignity as human beings remain intact regardless of our physical circumstances. It is innate and inalienable; part of the fabric of human nature as fashioned by our Creator.

Where opinion diverges is whether, for example, suffering or an irreversible drop in the quality of life justifies the choice to end one's life, while still acknowledging that our essential dignity, given to us by God, remains unchanged? Do we mar the image of God by ending human life prematurely or by denying someone with a terminal illness suffering a particularly undignified death the opportunity to hasten their own death?

God's Sovereignty

All Christians acknowledge that God is the author of all created life, but the complex relationship between God's sovereignty and our free will have been debated throughout Church history. Some consider the taking of life under any circumstances to contravene God's sovereign rule; others argue that in the same way that we have the right to exercise our free will to hasten an inevitable end to life by refusing a life sustaining treatment, we have the right to request assistance to hasten then end of our lives.

Practical issues

Other practical concerns, such as the potential effect on palliative care, the effectiveness of and ability to implement safeguards against abuse, and the likelihood that eligibility criteria may be widened in future, were also expressed and discussed. In addition, concerns were expressed by Crossreach, the social care arm of the Church of Scotland, bout some of the specific effects that such legislation may have on their ability to effectively deliver care.

Presbytery conversations

Between September and November 2024, a series of Presbytery ‘conversation' events around the issue of assisted dying were held, one event being hosted by each of the Presbyteries. A short video, featuring voices of people within the Church of Scotland, expressing differing opinions around the issue of assisted dying was used to introduce the issue the topic. These meetings gave people the opportunity to engage in facilitated small group discussions. The opportunity to discuss this challenging and sensitive topic in a non-adversarial setting, as part of a genuine conversation was greatly appreciated by many. Many expressed the view that such a listening space was a rarity as death and dying is often considered to be a taboo subject, and a desire for more opportunities to discuss the experiences, fears, and issues around death and dying was expressed

Discussion starter questions for small groups

If you are part of a prayer group, Bible study group or other small meeting, or if you think a conversation at a Kirk Session or during a church service on this topic would be appropriate, the discussion starter questions are offered to help stimulate your thinking or help with facilitation:-

  • What do you understand by the phrase "sanctity of life"?
  • In what ways is it a privilege to care for someone at the end of their life?
  • What would you say to someone who feels they are a burden to others and therefore wants to end their life ‘with dignity'?
  • What emotional and spiritual issues might arise for the close family and friends of those who would choose assisted dying, both before and after the assisted death took place?