Scottish Conservative Leader now opposes assisted suicide bill.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition.

Scottish Parliament

Russell Findlay, the leader of Scotland's Conservative party has switched his position on the assisted suicide bill that is scheduled to go to a vote on March 17, 2026.

In May 2025, Finlay voted in favour of Scotland's assisted suicide bill, time had passed by a vote of 70 - 56. The Herald reported that Findlay backed the general principle of the bill but is now opposing the bill.

According to Andrew Learmonth who writes for the Herald, Finlay is the third MSP who supported the bill and now oppose the bill. Colin Smyth, who also supported the bill, has been suspended from parliament while being investigated for possessing indecent images of children and voyerism.

Findlay stated on X that:

"However, at the time of voting for the principle of the legislation at State One I also expressed some misgivings about elements of it.

...I am not able to vote for the bill at stage three.

My reasons include the two primary concerns that I raised at Stage One.

The first is that risk that people could be coerced into ending their own lives. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have a loving supportive family.

There are already cases of unscrupulous relatives, or 'trusted' medical or legal professionals, exploiting people for financial gain. As a journalist, I reported on the harm caused by Scotland's system of legal self-regulation which remains woefully inadequate in terms of consumer protection.

And even without any coercion from others, some people may feel pressured because they think they have become a 'burden' on loved ones.

The second concern relates to the possibility that any legislation, no matter how tightly defined, could be potentially widened by way of later court challenges.

It seems not plausible, but inevitable, that people whose conditions so not qualify for assisted dying as legislated for would take action to extend that right to them.

We have seen examples of this 'slippery slope' in other jurisdictions, and I would be deeply uncomfortable at being responsible for legislation that might end up mutating beyond its original remit to, for example, allowing someone with a mental health condition to compel the state to permaturely end their life. 

Findlay also commented on the fact that Scotland's assisted suicide bill cannot protect conscience rights for health professionals since medical regulation is the pervue of the British parliament.

We thank Russell Findlay for changing his position on the dangerous assisted suicide bill. I suggest that his two primary concerns cannot be limited by a tighter bill, but should always be seen as strong reasons for defeating life and death assisted suicide legislation.