The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

17th March 2026

17 March 2026

Scotland Rejects Assisted Dying and Affirms Human Dignity

MSPs can be confident that they have taken the correct and responsible course of action. Their vote serves to protect some of Scotland’s most vulnerable individuals from the risk of being pressured into a premature death.

Every human life possesses inherent value. Genuine compassion is not expressed through ending a life, but through accompanying those who suffer and ensuring they receive the medical, emotional, and spiritual support that recognises their dignity. No life is without worth.

As a society, our responsibility is not to address suffering by eliminating the sufferer, but to surround each person with care, respect, and dignity until their natural end. Today’s decision moves Scotland further in that direction, and MSPs should be commended for this.

However, we must continue to make progress. Our next priority must be to strengthen palliative care by ensuring that it is properly funded and accessible to all who require it.

I would like to express my gratitude to all MSPs for their serious engagement with this issue and for the thoughtful and considered attention they have given to the bill. I am especially grateful to those who upheld the principle of human dignity and advocated on behalf of the vulnerable. Your principled commitment has not gone unnoticed.

Bishop John Keenan

President of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland

Contact:

Media Office

Bishops’ Conference of Scotland
64 Aitken Street, ML6 6LT
Tel: 01236 764061
Email: [email protected]

The Roman Catholic Bishops in Scotland work together to undertake nationwide initiatives through their Commissions and Agencies.

The members of the Bishops' Conference are the Bishops of the eight Scottish Dioceses. Where appropriate the Bishops Emeriti (retired) provide a much welcomed contribution to the work of the conference. The Bishops' Conference of Scotland is a permanently constituted assembly which meets regularly throughout the year to address relevant business matters.

Members of The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

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March 2026

14Mar

Gospel

14 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel
Luke 18:9-14
‘The tax collector went down to his house justified, rather than the Pharisee.’

At that time: Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: ‘Two men went up into the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.’

13Mar

A patient shares his personal experience of the care he received at St Margaret’s Hospice in Clydebank after being told he had o...

13 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

A patient shares his personal experience of the care he received at St Margaret’s Hospice in Clydebank after being told he had only days to live.

His story is a powerful reminder of why compassionate care matters. Today we are being told that a six month prognosis would be enough to qualify someone for assisted suicide under the proposed legislation. Yet as this testimony shows, predictions about life expectancy are not always certain.

Our response to those who are seriously ill should always be care, love and accompaniment, not assistance to end their life.

Stories like this remind us what is at stake.

Contact your MSP today and urge them to reject the Assisted Suicide Bill:
👉 https://carenotkilling.scot/

The more we know, the more we say no.

13Mar

For three days MSPs have been debating the Assisted Suicide Bill late into the night — sitting until 10pm each evening as hundre...

13 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

For three days MSPs have been debating the Assisted Suicide Bill late into the night — sitting until 10pm each evening as hundreds of amendments are examined line by line.

This alone shows just how complex, flawed and unresolved this legislation remains.

Despite hours of scrutiny, serious concerns about safeguards, protections for healthcare professionals, and risks to vulnerable people persist.

As Lord Alton reminds us: hard cases make bad law.

Scotland should not rush through legislation of this magnitude while so many questions remain unanswered.

This Bill must be rejected.

Contact your MSP today:
👉 carenotkilling.scot

The more we know, the more we say no.

13Mar

Some commentators have pointed to polling suggesting that around 61% of Catholics support assisted suicide

13 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Some commentators have pointed to polling suggesting that around 61% of Catholics support assisted suicide. This figure comes from a YouGov poll conducted in 2023, which asked about assisted dying in general terms. Now that we know the details of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, we are all now in a much better position to assess the proposal.

Polling consistently shows that when people learn more about the detailed reality of assisted suicide, including the woeful lack of basic safeguards, the risk of coercion, the impacts on disabled and vulnerable groups, the effects on palliative care provision, etc., support drops significantly.

Research cited by Care Not Killing in 2025 shows that when respondents are presented with the risks and complexities involved, initial support declines and opposition increases.

This highlights an important point in the current debate: the more people understand the detail of the proposed law, the more cautious they become about changing the law. Knowledge is power!

The more we KNOW, the more we say NO.

📍 Learn more about the issues at
http://carenotkilling.scot
Now is the time to contact your MSP to share your concerns.

13Mar

🚨 BREAKING NEWS

13 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

🚨 BREAKING NEWS

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland has announced its opposition to the Assisted Suicide Bill following the removal of vital protections for pharmacists who may wish to conscientiously object.

This is a significant intervention from the professional body representing pharmacists in Scotland and raises further serious concerns about the impact of the Bill on healthcare professionals.

As key safeguards continue to be stripped away, the risks of this legislation are becoming clearer.

Read the statement:
👉 https://www.rpharms.com/about-us/news/details/Statement-RPS-opposes-the-Assisted-Dying-Bill-in-Scotland

Contact your MSP today and urge them to reject the Assisted Suicide Bill:
👉 https://carenotkilling.scot/

The more we know, the more we say no.

13Mar

Where assisted suicide has been legalised around the world, the pattern is clear: the law rarely stays as it was first introduce...

13 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Where assisted suicide has been legalised around the world, the pattern is clear: the law rarely stays as it was first introduced.

In country after country, what begins as a tightly limited measure gradually expands. Eligibility criteria widen, safeguards change, and more people become eligible over time.

Laws that were once presented as applying only to a very small number of terminally ill patients have, in many places, expanded to include those with chronic illness, disability, or other conditions.

This is why many people are concerned about introducing such legislation. Once the door is opened, future parliaments may widen the law far beyond its original intentions.

If you are concerned about the direction Scotland is heading, please take action today.

The more we KNOW, the more we say NO.

Write to your MSPs by visiting:
👉 https://carenotkilling.scot/

13Mar

Many disabled people are passionately opposed to assisted suicide legislation

13 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Many disabled people are passionately opposed to assisted suicide legislation.

Why? Because they fear it will be people like them who are subtly made to feel that their lives are burdensome, that they would be better off dead, that society would be better off without them.

No law exists in a vacuum. Laws shape culture. They shape expectations. They shape how we value one another.

We do not want to live in a country where the vulnerable feel pressure to justify their existence.

Scotland must choose compassion, protection and genuine care — not a pathway that risks undermining the dignity of those who most need our support.

The more we KNOW, the more we say NO.

Write to your MSPs by visiting:
👉 https://carenotkilling.scot/

13Mar

Rights are defined by law

13 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Rights are defined by law. They can be expanded, limited or rewritten.

But dignity is different. It does not come from Parliament. It does not depend on health, independence or productivity. It belongs to every human person simply because they are human.

Any law that permits the intentional ending of life risks weakening that foundational truth.

Scotland should uphold the inherent dignity of every person, especially the most vulnerable.

Write to your MSPs by visiting:
👉 https://carenotkilling.scot/

Carefully read the wording of the email before sending. Click the button and enter your postcode when prompted.

13Mar

𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗦𝗣𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗽𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁

13 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗦𝗣𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗗𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗽𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁

The Bishops’ Conference of Scotland is deeply disappointed by the decision of the Scottish Parliament to reject all institutional conscientious objection amendments to the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill.

Every organisation has guiding values that shape its mission and practice and, for many faith‑based organisations, including Catholic hospices and care homes, these values are fundamentally incompatible with the introduction of assisted suicide.

The future of such institutions, which so faithfully and compassionately serve their local communities, some for hundreds of years, is now uncertain if the Bill passes.

The Bishops’ Conference maintains that no organisation should be compelled by the State to participate in the deliberate ending of life when doing so would violate its ethical or religious principles.

The Bishops’ Conference urges MSPs to reject the Bill, ensuring that organisations providing critical care services are not forced to decide between acting contrary to their foundational values or closing.

13Mar

Gospel

13 Mar, 2026 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Gospel
Mark 12:28b-34
‘You shall love the Lord your God. You shall love your neighbour.’

At that time: One of the scribes came up to Jesus and asked him, ‘Which commandment is the most important of all?’ Jesus answered, ‘The most important is, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ And the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbour as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.’ And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.