The Bishops' Conference of Scotland

Laws rarely remain as narrow as first promised.

Once the principle is accepted, the boundaries tend to widen. What begins as limited and tightly controlled can gradually expand beyond its original intention.

Before opening this door, Scotland must consider who may push it further and who may be affected most.

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.

At this significant moment for our nation, we encourage prayerful reflection and respectful engagement. Please continue to pray for those facing serious illness, for their families, and for all who carry responsibility in public life.

May the Holy Spirit guide us to choose the path that upholds the sanctity of life, defends the dignity of every person, and reflects the true compassion of Christ.

As Catholics, we hold that every human life is sacred — a gift from God, worthy of protection and love from conception until natural death.

With MSPs set to take their final vote on assisted suicide next month, we are sharing the Bishops of Scotland’s letter, which outlines clearly why this proposed law conflicts with the dignity of the human person and a truly compassionate society.

We invite you to read the letter, to pray for those nearing the end of life and for all who care for them, and to make your voice heard by contacting your MSP through Care Not Killing: https://carenotkilling.scot

May the Holy Spirit grant our nation the wisdom and courage to uphold the sanctity of life and to choose the way of genuine compassion and solidarity.

@top fans


𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲 – 𝗔 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗕𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Scotland stands at a moment of profound moral consequence. In the coming weeks, the Scottish Parliament will cast its final vote on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill; legislation that would, for the first time in our nation’s history, permit physician-assisted suicide. As your shepherds, entrusted with the care of souls and the protection of human dignity, we write to you with deep concern.

True compassion is not found in hastening death but in walking with those who suffer, ensuring they receive the medical, emotional, and spiritual care that affirms their inherent worth. Every person—regardless of age, illness, disability, or circumstance—is a gift from God. There is no such thing as a life without value. Our task as a society is not to eliminate suffering by eliminating the sufferer, but to surround every individual with love, support, and dignity until their natural end.

Over recent months, several Members of the Scottish Parliament who once supported the proposal have now either withdrawn, or are seriously considering withdrawing, their backing, recognising that the risks embedded within it are too grave to ignore. Their change of heart reflects a dawning awareness that coercion, especially the subtle, hidden coercion experienced by the most vulnerable, including the elderly, the sick, the disabled and those living with domestic abuse, cannot be reliably detected, let alone prevented.

Key protections that should form the very foundation of such legislation, however flawed the principle may be, have been removed or rejected. Proposals for mandatory training for doctors to recognise coercive control were voted down by the Parliament Health and Social Care Committee. Measures ensuring that patients are offered proper palliative and social care before considering assisted suicide were dismissed. An opt-out for hospices and care homes who object to assisted suicide was also rejected. Even the conscience rights of healthcare workers remain uncertain. As a result, MSPs are being asked to vote on a Bill that is incomplete and reliant on future intervention from Westminster—an arrangement that several parliamentarians have already described as unworkable and irresponsible.

Experience from abroad also offers a sober warning. In countries where assisted suicide has been introduced, narrow criteria have widened over time, placing ever more people

at risk—not because of unbearable physical suffering, but because they feel abandoned, isolated, or burdensome. We must not allow such a trajectory to take root here in Scotland.

We therefore urge you, the Catholic faithful of Scotland, to act. Please contact your MSPs and respectfully ask them to oppose this legislation. Make your voice heard in defence of those who may not be able to speak for themselves. Resources to assist you—including Care Not Killing’s online email tool—are available and we invite you to use them prayerfully and thoughtfully.

Let us also hold in prayer all those approaching the end of life, all who care for them, and all charged with shaping the laws of our land. May the Holy Spirit grant our nation the wisdom to choose the path of life, compassion, and genuine human solidarity.

Yours devotedly in Christ,

+ John Keenan, President, Bishop of Paisley
+ Brian McGee, Vice-President, Bishop of Argyll and the Isles
+ Andrew McKenzie, Episcopal Secretary, Bishop of Dunkeld
+ Leo Cushley, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh
+ William Nolan, Archbishop of Glasgow
+ Joseph Toal, Bishop of Motherwell
+ Hugh Gilbert, Bishop of Aberdeen
+ Francis Dougan, Bishop of Galloway

Gospel
Matthew 5:20-26
‘Go first, be reconciled to your brother.’

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, “You fool!” will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.’

🙏 WEE BOX Prayer

This Lent, we pray with our sisters and brothers who struggle each day for something as basic as clean water.

May God quench the thirst of those in need, strengthen communities facing hardship, and inspire us to be a voice for the unheard.

Let justice flow like a mighty river.

Amen.

Support SCIAF’s WEE BOX appeal: sciaf.org.uk/weebox