John Swinney is “struggling” with the question of whether to support euthanasia in Scotland

He said there were “many substantive and material issues that need to be addressed” and “an age limit of 16 is an important issue for me.”

Dr. Gordon Macdonald, chief executive of campaign group Care Not Killing, said Mr Swinney “really should resolve the situation at the earliest opportunity”.

He said: “We would urge Mr Swinney to vote against the assisted dying bill, as he has in the past, as the dangers associated with changing the law remain unchanged.”

Mr McArthur said: “Both public polling and the consultation I conducted showed overwhelming support for changing the law. I know there will be MSPs who personally would not choose the assisted dying option.

“However, I would urge each of them to consider whether they should deny this choice to terminally ill, mentally competent Scots who want this option available.”