Physician assisted dying: latest developments
22 March 2019

Update:
Today (21 March) the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has dropped its opposition to assisted dying and moved to neutrality. The RCP has opposed assisted dying since 2006 but has now brought its position in line with the range of views held by its members, and with the 82% of the public who want greater choice at the end of life. Today’s result is a great victory for patients and for the campaign group Dignity in Dying. Their full press release can be found on their website and a breakdown of the results is available on the RCP website.
DID’s report has been covered by the British Medical Journal and Politics Home so far. You can read the full report here, and their press release here.
On 20 March Dignity in Dying released a report exposing the fact that those behind the legal challenge to the RCP (detailed below) have a long history of campaigning for pro-life causes and connections to American pro-life lobbyists, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
DID’s report has been covered by the British Medical Journal and Politics Home so far. You can read the full report here, and their press release here.
See our last update on these events since our podcast interview with CEO of Dignity in Dying Sarah Wootton.