Nicola Sturgeon has declared she is “more open” to Holyrood legalising assisted dying after being moved by the plight of terminally ill Scots.
The First Minister opposed a right-to-die law seven years ago - but told the Record she has no “concluded view” on the latest proposals.
Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur is consulting on a Bill which would introduce the right to an assisted death for terminally ill, mentally competent adults.
Under his plan, two doctors would have to independently confirm the person meets the criteria and the individual would have to sign a written declaration.
Critics say assisted dying could put pressure on vulnerable people and act as a slippery slope to more extreme proposals.
A previous attempt to change the law was rejected by MSPs in 2015.
Sturgeon was among those politicians who opposed this Bill, arguing that she had not been convinced.
Speaking exclusively to the Record, she revealed a significant shift in her thinking on the controversial subject, saying: “I haven’t come to a concluded view this time.
"I’ll be really honest, it’s an issue I really struggle with. And I will have to come to a view on it before Parliament votes on it again, and I will.
“I think my mind is more open to it than it perhaps has been in the past. And like everybody else, I am always very moved by people whose - themselves or family - whose terminal illness has meant they’ve been in a position where they think they perhaps would have wanted to have the right to assisted dying.”
She added: “Equally, and this is the thing I’ve always struggled to get over, is my concern about how would you ever put sufficient safeguards into a system, where you can be certain that people - elderly people in particular - didn’t almost feel a sort of pressure in some circumstances, or where it could be abused?
“The other thing which I feel strongly about, but this actually applies whatever route we take on assisted dying, is that allowing people to have good deaths through good palliative care is really important, and I think it’s vital we don’t lose focus on that.”
She said: “I’m still thinking very, very deeply about this issue myself. And, you know, I will continue to talk to people, to consider all of the arguments, before coming to a view myself on how I would vote.”
Jeane Freeman, Sturgeon’s former Health Secretary, told the BBC in December she supports making assisted dying legal.
“My bottom line is I would want this for myself and my loved ones,” she said.
“If that is what I want, and I do, I can’t see how I could deny that to somebody else.”
“My feeling is the public in Scotland is a wee bit ahead of us on this, as they are on many things, and that there is a majority support for it,” she said.
Current Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has said he is “not persuaded” of the case.
McArthur, whose consultation has attracted over 10,000 responses, welcomed the First Minister’s comments: “I am pleased to hear that the First Minister is open to considering giving dying Scots the right to a safe and compassionate assisted death.
“Nicola Sturgeon is not alone in reviewing her position on this. Over recent months, we have seen a number of senior political figures from across the party spectrum describe how their position has changed and how they now support a change in the law.
“We will be publishing the results of an extensive public consultation in the coming months but it appears there continues to be strong public support for such a change.
“As my bill goes through the parliamentary process, I hope to fully convince the First Minister and many of her government colleagues of its merits.
“This bill is about giving adults with a terminal illness and mental capacity the right to a dignified death at the time of their choosing.”
Stuart Weir, National Director of CARE for Scotland, which opposes assisted dying, said: “The First Minister’s statement that she is ‘more open’ to assisted suicide proposals will be alarming to those most-opposed to a change in the law – members of the disabled people’s community. Disabled people’s lives are already devalued and will be further stigmatised if ‘assisted dying’ reaches the statute book.
“We would urge the First Minister, members of her government, and indeed all MSPs to carefully review the evidence regarding assisted suicide, which confirms that it is dangerous and unpredictable, and likely to result in profound injustices against some of the most marginalised people in society. Assisted suicide is not something a truly compassionate country should countenance.”
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