New polling has revealed that a majority of medical professionals in the UK who take a firm opinion on assisted suicide are opposed to its implementation.
The polling surveyed members of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow on the practicalities of implementing the assisted suicide bills in England, Wales, and Scotland, should they become law.
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would legalise assisted suicide in England and Wales for those with a prognosis of six months or less, while the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill would legalise assisted suicide for adults resident in Scotland with no prognosis requirement specified.
The survey revealed that, based on the current forms of the assisted suicide Bills in Westminster and Holyrood, 50.52% of medical professionals who took a firm view would oppose its implementation. It also found that a vast majority of medical professionals who took a firm view would not be willing to participate in either prescribing the fatal drugs for individuals to self-administer – 70.49% – or directly assist an individual in ending their life – 74.19%.
A majority of medical professionals who took a firm view – 68.75% – also stated that they were not confident that the legislation provided sufficient legal protection for medical professionals who would be involved in assisted suicide.
A strong majority of those who were surveyed and who expressed a firm view – 76.19% – also felt that the method of assisted suicide should be addressed in the legislation. Currently, this is not the case in the Bills in England and Wales or Scotland, with powers to decide on the specific drugs to be used for assisted suicides being delegated to government officials.
Of the respondents who took a firm view, a large majority – 62.37% – also stated that they were not confident that the current professional standards and oversight would allow the legislation to be implemented safely.
The poll also revealed that a majority of respondents who took a firm view – 73.53% – did not believe that the proposed safeguards against coercion in the legislation were practical within current service structures and protocols.
A majority of respondents who took a firm view also stated that they had concerns regarding the definition of a terminal illness within both the legislation in Scotland and in England and Wales; 73% of respondents in Scotland who took a firm view expressed concerns regarding the definition in the Scottish legislation, and 54.05% of respondents in the rest of the UK outside of Scotland who took a firm view expressed concerns regarding the definition in the legislation in England and Wales.
55.56% of respondents in Scotland who expressed a firm view said that the definition of a terminally ill person in the McArthur assisted suicide Bill was not sufficiently clear for clinical application.
Additionally, a majority of respondents who took a firm view felt that they would face challenges in being able to competently assess individuals’ eligibility for assisted suicide based on an individual’s capacity, lack of coercion, or terminal illness. Of those who took a firm view, 90.43% of respondents felt that they would face challenges in assessing an individual for a lack of coercion; 86.46% felt that they would face challenges in assessing an individual’s capacity; and 85.42% felt that they would face challenges in assessing whether an individual met the definition of terminal illness.
Poll results spark further backlash against assisted suicide
Dr Morven McElroy, Honorary Secretary at the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, said “The survey has shown that if the bills were to become law, there is a strong need for greater clarity to protect both patients and doctors”.
“Respondents to the survey were particularly concerned about the challenges of assessing whether a patient has made their decision voluntarily, and their capacity to make that decision”, she continued.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Baroness Coffey, the former health secretary, said the polling results “should concern all peers and MPs”.
“This demonstrates why considering coercion last Friday [during the House of Lords debate] was very important, not filibustering as others have tried to suggest”, she continued.
Commentator Adam James Pollock said “Yet another Royal College has highlighted just how dangerous assisted suicide would be”.
“A vast majority of medical professionals are concerned about the lack of clarity in the legislation. This is simply not good enough when people’s lives are at stake,” he continued.
Scottish Conservative councillor James Bundy said the polling results “should give every MSP pause”.
“There are serious concerns here: not theoretical, not ideological, but practical. Those who support Assisted Dying in principle should see that the McArthur Bill is fit for purpose. To protect the vulnerable, this Bill must not pass”, he continued.
Spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said “These polling results are yet another damning indictment of the dangerous assisted suicide bills that some people are trying to force through the legislative processes”.
“It is clear that the majority of medical professionals surveyed who took a firm view are not willing to participate in such a dangerous practice that lacks adequate safeguards to protect society’s most vulnerable people”.
“Those who still support such legislation in the face of all the evidence showing how harmful it would be need to reevaluate their decision. Politicians in Scotland, and in England and Wales, must ensure that assisted suicide never becomes law”.
