The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has confirmed that it is against the legalisation of euthanasia. The RCP has long opposed the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide in the UK but changed its position to “neutral” after conducting a poll in 2019. That has now changed again following a legal challenge brought by four doctors, the RCP has clarified that “it does not support a change in the law to permit assisted dying,” and stated that “the majority of doctors would be unwilling to participate actively in assisted dying if the law were changed to permit it.”
Robert Clarke, Deputy Director of ADF International, welcomed the clarification and said the RCP had “taken a step in the right direction and pushed back against those who have sought to misrepresent and instrumentalise the 2019 vote to push for a change in UK law”.
“The detrimental effects of euthanasia on individuals and society have become very clear in countries that have already gone down this path. There is nothing progressive about a society that refuses to care for its most vulnerable members. Given what the RCP represents, it would have been disappointing to see the organisation abandon its established opposition to euthanasia – especially when the change is promoted by a small minority with political motives,” he said.
