Leadbeater Bill passes Second Reading in UK Parliament but Majority of Scottish MPs Vote Against

Last Friday, 29th November, MPs voted in favour of Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill.

The Bill, which would legalise assisted suicide in England & Wales but will have a significant influence on a similar proposed law in Scotland, passed by 350 – 275 votes. The Bill will now pass to Committee, then to Report Stage, following which MPs will be given another chance to vote at Third Reading, likely to take place in April.

Reacting to the vote, Bishop John Keenan said: "This is a sad day for the sick, the vulnerable and the disabled in society. 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. As we have seen across the world, once enacted these laws are rapidly and dangerously expanded."

Despite the overall majority in favour, Scottish MPs bucked the trend with a majority voting against the Bill. A total of 29 Scottish MPs rejected the Bill, and 17 voted in favour. Eleven Scottish MPs did not vote, including nine SNP members and two Labour members.

Thank you to all of those who contacted their MP ahead of Friday’s vote. Your emails, letters, phone calls and meetings worked, with two Scottish MPs reporting that at least 90% of correspondence received was opposed to the Bill. Your engagement on this very important issue has been significant and helped to make a positive difference, at least here in Scotland.

And whilst a majority of MPs expressed support for the Bill, many of those who voted in favour have expressed significant concerns about safeguards, including the risk of coercion and people feeling they are a burden, and the lack of funding for palliative care.

The Second Reading vote is a blow, but it is far from a knockout, and it’s still all to play for.

Whilst we will continue to encourage engagement with MPs on the Leadbeater Bill we will also need to turn our attention to Holyrood, and Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill. The Catholic Parliamentary Office will shortly provide more information on this and what you can do to help.

In the meantime, it would be extremely helpful if you could contact your MP to tell them what you think of their vote on the Leadbeater Bill and to urge them to vote against the Bill at Third Reading. Below is a list of Scottish MPs and how they voted on the Bill. Please do contact your local MP, using the Write to Them website, and remember to urge them to vote against the Bill at Third Reading.

Thank you for all your support against these dangerous proposals.