
UK surgeons go ‘neutral’ on assisted dying
In a significant public relations victory for the assisted dying lobby in the United Kingdom, the Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) has voted to drop its opposition to assisted dying. The College is now officially “neutral” on whether doctors should be allowed to kill patients.
The change was made after 72% of members who responded to an online survey declared that they were in favour of changing the College’s position. However, the 3000 members who responded represented only 19% of the College’s membership. Of these, 52% backed assisted suicide and 20% the adoption of neutrality.
This development leaves the Royal College of General Practitioners as only Royal College which still opposed to changing the law to permit assisted suicide.
A report published by the College explains the methodology of the survey. The surgeons were promoted through emails in February and March. Those who did not respond were sent up to four reminder emails. Of the entire UK membership of 17,600, only 3,268 responded. According to the report, “This provides a large sample size for confident and robust statistical analysis.”
Afterwards, the College Council debated the results in April and May. “A majority vote was cast in favour of adopting a neutral position on the issue,” says the College.
More Stories
Why not voluntary lawyer-assisted dying?
At an earlier stage in the debate over assisted dying, a critic wrote that it was incompatible with a physician’s...
South Australian prisoner will die through ‘voluntary assisted dying’
“Voluntary Assisted Dying” commenced in South Australia on January 31. The latest available figures show that 39 people have already...
Nitschke gets US tax-deductible status for his suicide machines
Americans can now get a tax-deduction for promoting assisted suicide. The world’s best-known assisted suicide activist, Australia’s Philip Nitschke, has...
Canadian man supplied 1200 suicide kits online
Canada, the country with the most victims of euthanasia, is also the home of a man who may have enabled...
Dutch court sentences man to 3½ years for assisting suicides
A Dutch court has sentenced a man to 3½ years in prison for providing contacts with a lethal suicide drug....
Hawaii relaxes controls on assisted suicide
Hawaii has relaxed its safeguards on assisted suicide, which was legalized only five years ago, in 2018. The state’s governor,...