Royal College of Surgeons announces they are no longer opposed to assisted dying and are now ‘neutral’
- Over half of organisation’s members would support change in law, survey found
- The College decided to review its stance on the controversial subject in 2021
The Royal College of Surgeons is no longer opposed to assisted dying and are now ‘neutral’, it has been announced.
The organisation’s council members voted after discussing survey results, which showed an appetite for change, a move which has been welcomed by campaigners.
In the organisation’s independent assisted dying survey, which was carried out over four week in February and March this year, found that more than half of respondents would support a change in the law to allow assisted dying.
A fifth of the 19 per cent of membership that responded said the organisation should take a neutral stance, which just three per cent were undecided.
Just over a quarter said they were opposed to a change.
It comes after a decision was taken to review its position on the controversial subject in 2021, having previously held a firm stance of opposition to assisted dying since the subject was last discussed in 2014.
The organisation’s council members voted after discussing survey results, which showed an appetite for change, a move which has been welcomed by campaigners (PICTURED: The Royal College of Surgeons building)
READ MORE: Assisted suicide could be viewed as an ‘opportunity for cost saving’ by the NHS because it would change the way vulnerable people are treated, church leader fears
Rt Rev Iain Greenshields, who is the moderator of the Church of Scotland, warned allowing terminally ill patients to legally end their own lives would permanently change the NHS, particularly given how much pressure it is currently under
In a statement, the college said: ‘Following discussion of the survey results at our council meetings, council members voted to move the RCS England to a position of neutrality.’
Former president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Professor Sir John Graham Temple praised the organisation for ‘listening to its members and adopting a fair, representative position on assisted dying’.
‘I personally believe, as do a growing number of medics, that a safeguarded assisted dying law would improve the relationship between doctors and patients, allowing for more open conversations and greater transparency at the end of life’, he said.
‘This debate is not going away and the law will inevitably change. As momentum for reform grows, our profession must seize the opportunity and play our part in determining what law change looks like.’
Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said: ‘The RCS should be praised for its constructive engagement in the assisted dying debate; a conversation that is becoming impossible for medics and parliament to ignore.
‘Neutrality is the only stance that enables medical bodies to contribute fully and fairly to this debate, representing the range of views among their members and ensuring the voices of terminally ill people are at the forefront.’
The Health and Social Care Committee is currently holding an inquiry into assisted dying.
Trevor Moore, Chair of campaign group My Death, My Decision, said: ‘Medical professionals are increasingly coming to the conclusion that assisted dying should be legalised in the UK.
‘The Health and Social Care Committee must surely give due weight to this in their conclusions following the current inquiry into assisted dying.
‘The public support change, doctors across the spectrum support change – now politicians need to step up and give people who are incurably suffering or terminally ill the right to take control over their own bodies and, ultimately, their own deaths.’
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