There is nothing in the Bill to say they have to, nor is there anything to say they do not have to, she said, adding on the Parliament Matters podcast that this is “the best position to be in” and that nobody should be “dictating to hospices what they do and don’t do around assisted dying”.

Ahead of a final vote, the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill will move to a committee stage where it will be scrutinised and amended by members of the Scottish parliament.

Scotland’s parliament has passed the first stage of a bill that would allow the terminally ill to end their own lives, taking the country a step closer to joining others that have passed similar legislation on assisted dying.