Seven Major Health Bodies Unite to Sound Alarm Over Scottish Assisted Suicide Legislation
A coalition of seven major medical and healthcare organisations in Scotland—including the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and several Royal Colleges—has issued a joint consensus statement expressing serious concern about the direction of the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill. Although the organisations collectively take no stance on the principle of assisted suicide itself, they are united in warning that proposed changes to the Bill could undermine ethical standards, professional confidence, and public trust across Scotland’s healthcare system.
Their alarm centres on the possible removal of key protections that guarantee healthcare workers the right not to participate in assisted dying and allow conscientious objection. The Scottish Government has indicated that such provisions may be excluded from the final Bill because they fall outwith devolved powers. Instead, they could be added later through a Section 104 Order—secondary legislation that receives minimal parliamentary scrutiny. It also means that MSPs will be asked to vote on an incomplete Bill.
The organisations argue that shifting these fundamental safeguards out of the main legislation risks eroding transparency, accountability, and the integrity of the legislative process. In a joint letter to MSPs, Ministers, and UK officials, they warn that protections relating to professional ethics, legal obligations, and employment rights are essential to the safe and fair delivery of care, and to sustaining the confidence of clinicians who may be affected by the law.
They highlight four major areas of concern:
- The removal of essential safeguards from primary legislation, leaving crucial issues unresolved during the Bill’s passage.
- A threat to professional confidence and public trust, as clinicians may fear being compelled to participate against their ethical beliefs.
- Insufficient scrutiny, since consequential changes introduced later through secondary legislation would not receive robust parliamentary debate.
- Risks to the safe and ethical implementation of any assisted dying framework if workforce concerns are sidelined.
The following organisations signed the statement:
- Association for Palliative Medicine (Scotland)
- Medical and Dental Defence Union of Scotland
- Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland
- Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
- Royal College of Psychiatrists in Scotland
- Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
- Royal Pharmaceutical Society
