McArthur welcomes watershed moment in assisted dying debate as GPs vote to drop opposition

Liam McArthur MSP has today welcomed a "watershed moment in the assisted dying debate" after the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) voted to dropped its opposition to assisted dying.

 At a meeting today, 39% of Council members voted that the RCGP should oppose assisted dying being legal, whilst 61% voted that the RCGP should move to a position of neither supporting nor opposing assisted dying being legal. Prior to the vote, the RCGP had been the only remaining UK medical royal college opposed to assisted dying.

Mr McArthur said:

"This is a watershed moment in the assisted dying debate.

"For many years it has been clear that the public overwhelming support giving those with a terminal illness and mental capacity the choice of an assisted death. More recently, however, we have seen a significant shift in the approach taken by medical bodies who previously opposed this choice.

"I warmly welcome the decision taken by the Royal College of GPs, which follows similar decisions taken in the recent past by Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons as well as the British Medical Association who have moved from a position of opposition to one of neutrality.

“These are bodies who represent medical professionals with a range of views on the issue of assisted dying and have an important role to play in shaping any legislation that might be passed at Holyrood, or indeed elsewhere in the UK. Doing so from a position of neutrality allows them to represent the interests of their membership while also informing the decisions taken by parliamentarians.

“For too long, too many dying people in Scotland have faced a series of horrible decisions at the end of life, often despite the best efforts of palliative care. It is clear that they and their families are crying out for more choice, control and dignity.

“In responding to those demands, I am committed to continuing to work with medical bodies, including the RCGPs, and other stakeholders on the detail of my bill to ensure we deliver a robustly safeguard assisted dying process that better meets the needs of dying Scots.”