John Swinney reveals how he will vote on assisted dying next week in 'incredibly difficult' decision

John Swinney has revealed he will vote against the Assisted Dying Bill next week, describing it as an "incredibly difficult" decision.

The First Minister said the legislation, put forward by Liberal Democrats MSP Liam McArthur, was a "much better Bill" than previous attempts as he admitted his decision “will cause disappointment”.

An opponent of assisted suicide outside Westminster. Picture: Benjamin Cremel/AFP via Getty Images

But Mr Swinney indicated he was worried about the relationship between doctors and patients that would result from the legislation being approved.

The SNP leader said he was "full of admiration" for Mr McArthur and that he had gone through "a degree of agonising" this time around, but that ultimately he "can't reconcile that with the concerns".

He said if he abstained in the vote, he "wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror" for shying away and taking a “passive” stance.

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Speaking to journalists on Thursday, Mr Swinney said: “I have come to the conclusion that I cannot support the Bill and will be voting against it on Tuesday.”

He said there were “three fundamental reasons why I have come to that conclusion”.

“Firstly, I am concerned that passage of this legislation will fundamentally alter the relationship between patients and clinicians,” he said. “In my view, there’s a real danger in undermining the role that we all believe is effectively performed by medical professionals or protecting and enhancing human life.

“If any possibility or, indeed, obligation is applied to medical professionals to advise patients about assisted dying, I believe the relationship between doctor and patient would be changed in an irrevocable and detrimental fashion.”

The First Minister warned “those who are vulnerable in our society” and “those who may consider themselves a burden to their family or to the state” may feel “undue pressure to end their life prematurely”.

Mr Swinney said he could see “no means to avoiding such a situation emerging in relation to the Bill”.

If MSPs did pass the Bill, Mr Swinney said he was “not sufficiently confident there will be no further developments through the judicial process” that could see the parameters of the legislation “extended”.

The First Minister told journalists that he “can’t disassociate my faith from who I am”. But he stressed his consideration was made “based on what I think people would expect of me as a member of parliament”.

Mr Swinney was asked whether his wife Elizabeth’s diagnosis of MS had led him to his decision and whether her views had influenced his decision.

“I couldn't contemplate having the conversation about the question of assisted dying with my wife knowing the health challenges that she faces and the fact that she has a terminal illness,” he said. “I could not contemplate that conversation."

Mr Swinney stressed the set-up between Scotland and the rest of the UK would need work if MSPs backed the Holyrood Bill as a majority.

People take part in a demonstration at Old Palace Yard in Westminster, London, to oppose assisted dying legislation. Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire

If it becomes law, the Bill would give people at the advanced stage of a terminal illness the option of requesting help to end their life.

Mr Swinney’s comments come after Professor James Chalmers, from Glasgow University, and Dr Sarah Sivers, from Robert Gordon University, raised concerns earlier this week, saying the existing “lack of legal clarity” risked health care staff and family members being prosecuted if they helped a terminally ill person to end their life.

Mr McArthur has insisted there is a “clear and compelling” case for backing his Bill, which aims to give adults suffering from the advanced stages of a terminal illness the right to seek help to end their life.

He has said he would drop proposals to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to end their lives with medical assistance, raising the minimum age to 18.