The controversy around legalizing assisted dying remains highly intricate and involves many different layers, provoking passionate and contrasting views from everyone concerned. Recently, the Scottish Parliament held an early vote on this topic and decided to move forward with the proposed law. Capturing the opinions of medical students – who will soon become practicing doctors – is vital when assessing fresh medico-legal proposals related to assisted dying in Scotland. The purpose of this study was to investigate and evaluate medical students’ attitudes towards assisted dying in Scotland, as well as the detailed elements of the proposed Scottish legislation. An online questionnaire was sent to students enrolled at all Scottish medical schools from October 2023 to January 2024. Respondents were asked to complete closed-ended quantitative questions that measured their specific views on the proposed legislation. These were followed by optional open-text boxes where participants could explain their choices in their own words. The open-text comments were later examined through thematic analysis. 295 students participated in the survey. Most respondents supported the legalization of assisted dying in Scotland (72.4%). However, only 48.5% agreed that assisted dying should be introduced into Scottish law exactly as outlined in the current bill. Furthermore, 23.4% of respondents said they would exercise conscientious objection and refuse to take part in the process. A large number of participants (n = 135) expressed concerns that the proposed safeguards were either unsuitable or insufficient. The ethical principle most commonly referenced was autonomy, with non-maleficence coming a close second. Although the majority of respondents favored assisted dying in principle, a noticeably smaller group supported implementing the bill in its current form. This difference stemmed mainly from varying assessments of whether the proposed safeguards were adequate. Many students based their opinions on knowledge gained from earlier medical training and direct healthcare experience. Other responses echoed the general views held by the wider public on end-of-life issues and assisted dying. While most medical students in the study support legalizing assisted dying in Scotland, important reservations remain about the exact wording and protections in the proposed legislation. This underlines the deeply complex and ethically demanding nature of the topic. Policymakers and key stakeholders should make a concerted effort to include medical students – as the doctors of tomorrow – in ongoing discussions to better inform future legislation and related research.
