ONE of the campaigns Margot MacDonald was at the forefront of was a long-running attempt to legalise assisted dying in Scotland.

In July 2008, she co-operated in the making of a documentary where she travelled around Scotland and met fellow sufferers of Parkinson's Disease and investigated the pros and cons of assisted suicide.

Last November, she launched a new Bill to give terminally ill people in Scotland the right to die.

Her previous attempt to change the law in 2010 was defeated in the Parliament, but she said last year the public now had better awareness of the issue.

She said the new Bill included "safeguards", such as a "preliminary declaration" in which someone can notify their intention for a request for assistance to die while still healthy.

During her campaign she forged a friendship with Jane Nicklinson, the widow of campaigner Tony Nicklinson, the severely disabled man from Wiltshire who fought and lost an impassioned campaign for the right to die in the High Court in England in 2012.

When launching the Bill, Ms MacDonald told Holyrood how she had been inspired by his tenacity.

Figures released by campaigners suggest 69% of people in Scotland support the legal right to assisted suicide.

The Scottish Government has said it does not support a change in the law.