If you're just joining us here are the headlines from an emotive and powerful debate, with the bill to legalise assisted dying in Scotland having passed its initial vote at Holyrood.

• The proposals in the bill would allow terminally-ill, mentally competent adults to seek medical help to end their lives
• A vote on the bill's general principles passed by 70 votes to 56, with one abstention
• MSPs will be able to further scrutinise the bill at stage two, where they can also propose changes
• Another vote on the final draft of the bill would need to be held before it could become legislation

• The Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, external would allow people to request medical assistance to end their own life – but only if they had a terminal illness and had been ruled mentally fit to make the decision by two doctors
• During a highly emotional but measured debate, MSPs cited powerful testimony from family members and constituents
• Liam McArthur gave a powerful and moving speech as he called on MSPs to back the general principles of his assisted dying bill
• The Lib Dem MSP had warned "we can't continue to leave this in the 'too difficult' box...that would be unforgivable"
• He said he was "delighted" and "relieved" with the result of the vote

That's all from our live coverage of events at the Scottish Parliament today. Paul McLaren was the editor. Jonathan Geddes and Craig Hutchison were the writers.

We've just heard from Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy on her disappointment at the result of today's vote, and groups opposed to assisted dying have also been expressing dismay.

Stuart Weir, the head of Christian charity CARE for Scotland, said the organisation was "deeply saddened" by the news, and that "our thoughts are with disabled Scots and many others who will be feeling great anxiety".

He added the bill would undermine suicide prevention in Scotland, with marginalised and vulnerable people most at risk.

Dr Gordon Macdonald, the chief executive officer of the Care Not Killing group, said the organisation will now step up its campaign against the legislation.

He said palliative care in Scotland is in need of proper funding, with assisted dying a "cheap alternative" to the problem.

Image source, PA Media

Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy, a vocal opponent of the bill, has told BBC Scotland News she is "heartbroken" at the vote.

She says it has "sent a message" to disabled people who had expressed concern over the legislation.

Bur she says she also heard "trepidation" from some colleagues who voted in favour.

The MSP added that she doesn't believe there will be enough amendments made for the bill to pass at further stages.

There have been celebratory words from supporters of Liam McArthur's proposed legislation.

Fraser Sutherland, the chief executive officer of the Humanist Society Scotland, called the vote "a major step forward towards choice and compassion at the end of life in Scotland", adding that the bill can help end needless pain and suffering.

He said the charity will now "redouble efforts" to progress the bill forwards.

Amy Dalrymple, associate director for policy and public affairs Scotland at the Marie Curie end of life charity, said the organisation remains neutral on assisted dying, but called for "action, accountability and clarity" for palliative care in the country.

First Minister John Swinney has said there have been "significant issues" raised about the bill, despite it passing the first stage.

In a post on X, Swinney - who previously stated he was voting against the bill - praised the debate at Holyrood.

He said: "The debate on Assisted Dying has been conducted @ScotParl, external with dignity, courtesy and respect. I could not support the proposal. Significant issues raised about the Bill will now be considered further at Stages 2 and 3 before any final decision is taken by Parliament."

Liam McArthur says reform is well overdue and adds the next stage is about considering amendments that hopefully can address some of the concerns raised during today's debate.

The Lib Dem MSP adds: "There's an opportunity now to get into the detail and bring forward those amendments."

He says: "I think there's more and more evidence internationally about how this type of legislation can be introduced safely and successfully."

Liam McArthur tells the BBC's Reporting Scotland programme he's "delighted, relieved, but conscious too there's a lot of work that lies ahead".

The Lib Dem MSP says: "This is a significant step for the Scottish Parliament to have taken.

"I was very proud of the debate we were able to have in the parliament."

He adds that parliament has decided to give further scrutiny to his bill.

A huge moment but more work is still to be donepublished at 19:22 British Summer Time

19:22 BST

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

That is a landmark moment at Holyrood – parliament has taken a step closer to legalising assisted dying.

It’s a huge result for supporters of the legislation. Seventy votes in favour is better even than what Mr McArthur’s team had been expecting.

And it underlines the change that has taken place in parliament over the past decade. It’s almost double the number of MSPs (36) who backed the last proposal tabled at Holyrood, in 2015.

Many members were clear though that this is far from a full stop. A lot more work is still to be done on this legislation if it is to become law.

The bill has been passed by 70 votes to 56. There was one abstention.

The Scottish Parliament will now hold a free vote on the bill - which means MSPs will not be instructed on how to vote by their parties or the government.

The stage one vote is on the general principles of the bill.

A simple majority of votes in favour (more "yes" votes than "no" votes) would allow it to progress to stage two, where MSPs could propose changes.

Another vote on the final draft of the bill would be held before it could become legislation.

If MSPs do not back the bill at stage one, it will fall.

Liam McArthur concludes his speech saying: "I say we can and must do better."

The Lib Dem MSP says he's done as much as he can to find "the honourable, fair solution to this most wicked of problems"

"I've done what I can, it's now up to colleagues for you to decide."

Image source, scottish parliament

Liam McArthur is now summing up the debate before decision time and he begins by thanking his colleagues for their many generous comments about him this afternoon.

The Lib Dem MSP says the debate has done justice to the seriousness of the issues raised.

He agrees with Tory MSP Liz Smith that this has been parliament at its best.

McArthur jokes: "Stacey Adam will be rightly proud of her snottering wreck of a husband" after SNP MSP George Adam's speech about his wife who is living with multiple sclerosis.

He also says SNP MSP Elena Whitam's speech was "awesome" just like her mother Irene, whose story she recounted.

He praises Labour's Pam Duncan-Glancy who he says made the most powerful speech but stresses his bill is not about intolerable suffering and argues there's no evidence of the rights of disabled people being adversely affected.

This vote could still swing either waypublished at 18:56 British Summer Time

18:56 BST

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

With the debate winding up, we are no closer to knowing how the vote will go.

I have the “for” side slightly ahead, but there are still enough unknown factors to swing it either way.

A few members have clarified their positions, with a few surprises along the way.

What is really missing is how members of the government will vote. Outside of Neil Gray’s contribution as health secretary, none has spoken – this has been a debate for backbenchers.

A few ministers have written newspaper articles or answered questions about it, but a good few are still keeping their cards close to their chests.

Those votes are going to be crucial when parliament divides in a few minutes’ time.

Image source, scottish parliament

Sue Webber is the last MSP to speak, following what she calls “quite an afternoon”. The Tory MSP mentions she was previously supportive of assisted dying, but has changed her mind in recent years.

She argues the risks it could introduce are a big concern, saying the definition of terminal illness is too vague and this is a red flag as it could “open the door to future expansion”, citing similar legislation in Canada and the Netherlands.

Webber says if the law is passed there are no guarantees where it could actually end. Like many opponents of the bill, she brings up the fear of a person believing they are a burden on family members and choosing to end their life. She adds that vulnerable patients being exploited is a further concern.

She concludes saying MSPs “must not allow rare and tragic cases to affect polices that affect the entire population” and that they must consider the long-term circumstances, because if even one life was lost unnecessarily due to the bill, she could never forgive herself.

Image source, scottish parliament

It's now the turn of Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer to make his contribution in this debate.

He explains he has wrestled with this issue for a number of years and he argues the proposal must be safe and compassionate.

He argues the status quo is neither safe or compassionate and he points out there are horrendous deaths across Scotland every day.

"For that reason I will vote for this bill at Stage One."

He adds he believes there are no more difficult issues for the parliament to wrestle with than this and the bill deserves further scrutiny.

First Minister John Swinney, will not be speaking during today's Holyrood debate, but he has already said he will not support a bill which would allow assisted dying in Scotland.

Swinney has not changed his position over the years.

He has consistently voted against assisted dying and it was no surprise when he revealed that he intends to do so again.

He said that representations in favour of assisted dying from constituents who have witnessed loved ones suffer terribly at the end of their lives caused him to agonise over his decision.

However, he believes that changing the law would unacceptably alter the relationship between doctors and their patients and that it could put pressure on sick and disabled people to end their lives prematurely.

Swinney has also been careful to stress that he has reached a personal view, that he is not seeking to influence others, and the Scottish government will remain "neutral".

Image source, Getty Images

In 2010, the Scottish Parliament rejected plans to give terminally ill people the right to choose when to die, despite claims they were widely backed.

Independent MSP Margo MacDonald's End of Life Assistance Bill aimed to make it legal for someone to seek help to end their life.

Ms MacDonald claimed there was wide public support for the legislation.

But the bill was defeated by 85 votes to 16 with two abstentions.

In 2014, Margo MacDonald died.

A member of the Scottish Parliament since 1999, the 70-year-old had been suffering from Parkinson's disease.

The SNP MSP Christine Grahame quotes words she used when backing her late friend Margo MacDonald’s own bill on the assisted dying topic in 2010, where she contrasted her mother dying while heavily sedated in hospital and her father, who passed away at home surrounded by family pictures.

Grahame adds that, now aged nearly 81, she is more aware of her morality than most at Holyrood. She says that many of her friends are now dead and that “for some death was kind, for others it was really cruel”.

She mentions that former MSP MacDonald - who died in 2014 from Parkinson's disease - didn’t need assisted dying, she simply wanted to be able to choose.

An individual can select medicine to use throughout their life, and the SNP MSP says it is “bizarre” that choice is not extended to death as well. The bill should be a backstop, she concludes, and should be taken on from today and tested at further stages before becoming legislation.

As the debate continues at Holyrood, here's a reminder of what Liam McArthur's bill is proposing.

If the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill passes, it would allow patients to request medical assistance to end their own life.

However, it would only be permitted under strict circumstances - if the person had a terminal illness and had been ruled mentally fit to make the decision by two doctors.

Scotland has tried to pass similar legislation before - in 2010, the End of Life Assistance (Scotland) Bill failed, followed by an attempt in 2014 with the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill.

Image source, scottish parliament

Former health secretary Michael Matheson says he believes coercion would be an "inevitable" outcome if the bill passes and that much more should be done to improve end of life care.

Matheson says he has concerns about the bill and what he thinks are deficiencies within its safeguards.

He says the definition of terminal illness in the legislation has no expected timeframe and in his view is "extremely broad".

The SNP MSP is also concerned about the provisions around coercion and the reality is some individuals will be subject to coercion and pressure.

He believes the measures in this bill would make detecting coercion a very serious challenge.

"We should be in no doubt individuals will experience coercion and pressure from others."