THE Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) announced today that it is no longer opposed to the legalisation of assisted dying.

Sixty-one per cent of the college’s council voted in favour of adopting a neutral stance, while the remaining 39 per cent supported maintaining the RCGP’s longstanding position of opposition, which had been in place since 2005.

The decision was taken by the council, which has 64 voting members, rather than the college’s membership.

Earlier this year, an RCGP survey of 8,779 GPs and GP Registrars saw nearly half (47.6 per cent) state that the college should oppose the law.

One in 10 favoured a position of neutrality, and a third (33.7 per cent) stated that the college should support it.

With 53,539 members, RCGP’s survey had a 16 per cent response rate. 

RCGP chairwoman Professor Kamila Hawthornes said the position of neutrality “does not mean we will be stepping back from the debate. 

“Our focus will be on advocating for our members, regardless of their views on assisted dying, as to how potential changes in the law will impact on their daily practice and the care they deliver for patients.”

The  Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill  is being scrutinised at committee stage before it returns to the Commons for further debate. This week, the committee responsible cut the requirement for a High Court judge to sign off on assisted death applications, cited before the Bill’s second reading as a key safeguard to prevent abuse.

A spokesperson for Disabled People Against Cuts called the RCGP’s decision “disappointing and alarming.

“As disabled people (especially those of us who are ‘terminally’ ill) we rely on our GPs understanding the difficulties we face in our lives and helping us access the healthcare, support and social care we need to live and thrive for all the days of our lives. 

“Accepting euthanasia and assisted ‘dying’ as a legitimate medical treatment is a huge conflict of interests, for people who are responsible for our very lives.” 

“It is our GPs’ job to prescribe treatment that helps us, either to get better, or feel better and where that isn't possible, to be advocating for the development of better NHS treatments , resources and services.

“Palliative care is underfunded, hospice care often isn’t funded at all and patients rely on charities, often, to stay comfortable in their last days.

“We need to reinforce these systems of support, not undermine them by pulling in the wrong direction.”