RCGP responds to Assisted Dying vote in UK Parliament

Responding to MPs voting to support a Second Reading of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said:

“The College is opposed to a change in the law on assisted dying. This has been our position since 2020 following a consultation with members.

"At the time, College Council agreed not to review its position until 2025 unless there were significant societal developments on the issue. Given the current legislative proposals and debate, including today's debate, around assisted dying in both England and Wales, and Scotland - as well as in the Crown Dependencies - it was agreed at our last Council meeting, that it was appropriate to bring this consideration forward and this will be discussed at our next Council meeting. Until this review is complete, the RCGP’s current position of opposing a change in the law on assisted dying remains. 

“Regardless of the College's position on the principle of legalisation, the College will also continue to advocate for a number of recommendations that we believe must be reflected in any legislation that is ultimately passed. These include that:

• Any assisted dying service should be seen as a standalone specialised service that healthcare professionals may opt to provide and should not be deemed core GP work. 
• If assisted dying was legalised, there should be a right for GPs to refuse to participate in the assisted dying process on any ground, and statutory protection making it unlawful to discriminate against them for doing so.
• Any assisted dying service would need to be separately and adequately resourced and should not, in any way, result in a de-prioritisation of core general practice or palliative care services. Palliative care services also need review to ensure they are fully and properly resourced.

“Patients who are at or near the ends of their lives are some of our most vulnerable - above all else, it is vital that regardless of whether assisted dying is permitted for terminally ill patients, they still have access to the best possible palliative and end of life care."

Further information

RCGP press office: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes to editors

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 54,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.