Not all churches concur on the issues around assisted dying as the Scottish Parliament debates a change to the law, where it will come up for a final vote on March 17, but they do not back the new law.

The Scottish Parliament is preparing to hold the Stage 3 vote on the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill and passing the law could trigger the closure of some Roman Catholic care institutions.

Scotland's biggest denomination, the Church of Scotland, also often referred to as the Presbyterian Church, says on its website: "The Church of Scotland supports the current law, which prohibits assisted dying."

Still, the church notes, its General Assembly, "Acknowledging the diversity of sincerely held theological views within our broad Church, re-affirm the Church of Scotland's opposition to assisted dying.

The Assembly "Agree that if assisted dying is legalised, robust safeguards must be in place for all involved, including medical staff whose ethical and moral principles should be respected, and to support and protect potentially vulnerable groups, including those with life-limiting illnesses, disabilities, mental health issues and dementia."

As Scotland nears its final phase on the law, the country's Catholic bishops are expressing "deep concern" about the proposal, the Catholic publication Crux Now reports.

In a statement released on March 10, the bishops noted the Scottish Government's response to an amendment which sought to introduce provisions allowing organisations – including hospices, care homes, and faith-based institutions – to exercise conscientious objection.

The Scottish Government has stated that "it is not clear how an institution might demonstrate what their "conscience' position is."

The Catholic Bishops' Conference said it "strongly disagrees with the Government's position, noting that every organization has guiding values that shape its mission and practice.

"For many faith‑based organizations, including Catholic hospices and care homes, these values are fundamentally incompatible with the introduction of assisted suicide," said Bishop John Keenan of Paisley, the president of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland.

"The Bishops' Conference maintains that no organization should be compelled by the State to participate in the deliberate ending of life when doing so would violate its ethical or religious principles," the bishop said.

Anthony Horan, the Director of the Scottish Catholic Parliamentary Office, said the Scottish Government and Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) must accept that Catholic hospices and care homes cannot, in good conscience, provide any services under the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, nor can they be expected to refer anyone to such services.

"Assisted suicide is fundamentally incompatible with the Gospel," he told Crux Now.

"If the Bill is not amended to reflect this reality, Catholic institutions may be forced to close to the severe detriment to the communities they have so committedly and compassionately served, many of them for hundreds of years," Horan said.

The Free Church of Scotland said that the proposed legislation represents a significant moral and legal change and has raised concerns among many about its potential impact on the protection of vulnerable people and the culture of care in our society.

"Scripture calls us to pray for those in authority and to seek the welfare of our nation, and this is an important moment to do so. Prayer points are available for people ahead of the final vote on Tuesday (17th March)," said the Free Church.

Scotland has a population of just over 5.5 million.

The 2022 Census found that a majority of Scots (51.12 percent) reported not following any religion.

The most practised religion is Christianity (38.79 per cent), with the Church of Scotland (20.36 per cent) and Roman Catholicism (13.3 per cent) being the largest churches..