Royal College of Surgeons votes to drop opposition to assisted suicide

As debate around assisted suicide continues to develop, the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) has voted to drop its opposition and to adopt a neutral position.

Last week’s announcement, on Thursday 15 June, came after a survey of its members was conducted, of which only 19% took part.

The independent survey was carried out in February and March of this year, and a debate by the RCS’s Council in April and May. The most common reason for supporting a change in stance was that ‘patients should not have to suffer/experience poor quality of life.’

The RCS has been opposed to assisted suicide since 2014, but now joins other medical bodies to drop their opposition, including the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Nursing.

James Mildred, Director of Communications and Engagement at CARE, which campaigns against assisted suicide and euthanasia, commented:

“It’s disappointing to see the Royal College of Surgeons changing its stance on assisted suicide after such an insignificant study of members’ views. Only 19 per cent of members took part in the survey cited as justification for a new, ‘neutral’ stance. A staggering 80 per cent of members didn’t offer a view on the practice. The survey also only involved surgeons in England, so is not representative of UK medics in this field as a whole. It’s clear there are forces at work within the College who are prepared to employ dubious tactics in order to achieve their desired, political outcomes.

“The fact remains that medics across the UK are strongly opposed to assisted suicide. It is particularly notable that palliative doctors, who understand end-of-life issues intimately, are overwhelmingly opposed to a change in the law. At the current time, people who have supported ‘assisted dying’ are also re-assessing their support given troubling reports from countries like Canada, where the law is spiralling out of control. Assisted suicide and euthanasia are inherently unsafe, unethical, and unpredictable. We must not gamble with lives by allowing these practices in the UK.”

Across the UK, legislation on Assisted Suicide is under threat. There are consultations underway in Jersey and the Isle of Man, and in Scotland, a new Assisted Dying Bill from Lord McArthur is progressing.