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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April 2024

11Apr

A post from Bishops' Conference of Scotland

11 Apr, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

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11Apr

EU Bishops: Abortion can never be a fundamental right - Vatican News

11 Apr, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2024-04/comece-abortion-will-never-be-a-fundamental-right.html

Ahead of the upcoming vote on 11 April in Brussels on whether to include the right to abortion in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the Bishops of ...

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11Apr

COMECE 'saddened' by vote to include abortion access in EU Charter of Fundamental Rights - Vatican News

11 Apr, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/
Shame on a society that does not welcome children!

Following EU Parliament's vote in favor of including access to abortion in the EU's Charter of Fundamental Rights, the Secretary General of COMECE, ...

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11Apr

Photos from Galloway Diocese's post

11 Apr, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

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11Apr

Morning Mass offered for the eternal repose of Fr Martin Chambers, RIP

11 Apr, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

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10Apr

Death of Fr Martin Chambers 10 April 2024 The Bishop of Galloway, Bishop Frank Dougan has today announced that Fr Martin Chamb...

10 Apr, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

Death of Fr Martin Chambers
10 April 2024

The Bishop of Galloway, Bishop Frank Dougan has today announced that Fr Martin Chambers, a priest of the Diocese of Galloway who was shortly to be ordained as the new Bishop of the Diocese of Dunkeld, has died.

Bishop Dougan said:

“It was with a heavy heart and the deepest sadness that I learned today of the death of Fr. Martin Chambers, a priest of the Diocese of Galloway and the Bishop-Elect of the Diocese of Dunkeld. I know his family and the people of Galloway diocese who knew him and loved him will be deeply shocked and dismayed at his untimely death. Together we give thanks for the selfless service he gave to our diocese; we recognise the enormous contribution he made to support some of the poorest communities in Ecuador and we pray for the repose of his soul.”

“To know Martin was to know a man of love, enthusiasm, humour and a deep faith which enlivened all that he did.”

Bishop Dougan added:

“On behalf of the Dioses of Galloway I offer our deepest condolences and the promise of our prayers to Martin’s family as they come to terms with his loss, our prayers too are with the people of the Diocese of Dunkeld, who were preparing to welcome him as their bishop in two weeks’ time on 27 April. We give thanks to God for the great service of a selfless priest and pray for his eternal rest.”

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08Apr

Vatican condemns surrogacy, gender-affirming surgery, gender theory in new doctrinal note

08 Apr, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/vatican-human-dignity-document-condemns-sex-change-gender-theory-and-surrogacy

Sex change operations, gender theory and surrogate motherhood pose grave threats to human dignity — as does the criminalization of homosexuality — according to a major new Vatican document.

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08Apr

Pope Francis meets with relatives of hostages being held by Hamas - Vatican News

08 Apr, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2024-04/pope-francis-meets-with-relatives-of-israeli-hostages-in-gaza.html

Pope Francis meets with relatives of hostages being held by Hamas since the start of the Israeli war against Hamas. The private audience on Monday ...

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08Apr

New Vatican document lists ‘grave violations’ of human dignity - Vatican News

08 Apr, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-04/human-dignity-ddf-document-migration-gender-surrogacy-war-theolo.html

The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith’s new document 'Dignitas infinita' took five years to complete, and builds on the papal magisterium of the ...

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08Apr

'Be humble' - Lord Speaker reflects on long career | ICN

08 Apr, 2024 | Bishops' Conference of Scotland | BCoS Facebook |

https://www.indcatholicnews.com/news/49426

The Speaker of the House of Lords, Lord McFall of Alcluith, has urged politicians to remember the importance of humility when seeking to improve society.At an event hosted by the international mission and development organisation, Jesuit Missions, last Wednesday (20 March), the L...

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