The morning after the Scottish Parliament voted down the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults Bill by 69 votes to 57, a GP in Scotland found herself in a consultation with a patient — let's call her Morag — who was deeply disappointed by the result. Morag had no family to care for her as she grew frailer, and she wanted to discuss a do-not-resuscitate decision. The conversation that followed became the basis for a searching reflection published by the Christian Medical Fellowship on 27 March 2026, written by Dr Ed Tulloch.

The article takes on the central rhetorical move of the assisted dying lobby: the claim to have monopolised the concept of dignity. The organisation 'Dignity in Dying' presents autonomy and control over death as the only path to a dignified end. But as Dr Tulloch points out, this definition has a devastating logical consequence: "Suddenly, a vast number of people are declared undignified — terminally ill and requiring help with personal care, those living with chronic cognitive impairments, or infants unable to express themselves."

The Christian counter-argument is rooted in Genesis 1:26-27. Human dignity, in the biblical account, is not a function of capacity, independence, or usefulness. It is an intrinsic quality bestowed by God on every human being made in his image — a status that cannot be diminished by illness, dependency, or approaching death. As Dr Tulloch writes: "We are image-bearers of the divine. Flawed, yes, but image bearers nonetheless. The graph is horizontal." Christ himself, born as a vulnerable refugee and executed in weakness on the cross, remained the image of the invisible God throughout.

The practical implications for Christian healthcare workers are significant. Dr Tulloch identifies four responses: treating every patient as an image-bearer worthy of honour; demonstrating through action that vulnerable people will not be abandoned; upskilling in palliative care to offer genuine alternatives to assisted dying; and advocating in professional and political spheres for patients like Morag. The Scottish Parliament's decision, and the likely timing-out of the Leadbeater Bill in England and Wales, creates a window of opportunity for the Church and the medical profession to invest seriously in end-of-life care — making the case not just in Parliament but in practice.

The CMF's voice in this debate is particularly important because it comes from within the medical profession itself. Christian doctors and nurses who hold a high view of human dignity are not simply imposing religious values on a secular system; they are articulating a vision of human worth that has profound implications for how medicine treats its most vulnerable patients. In a culture that increasingly equates dignity with autonomy, the Church's insistence that dignity is given rather than achieved is both countercultural and urgently needed.