by Eleanor Hayward, The Times
More than 250 GPs signed a letter saying their views had been misrepresented after the Royal College of GPs softened its stance on assisted dying
Doctors have accused the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) of “grossly misrepresenting” the views of its members by softening its stance on assisted dying.
The organisation, which has 54,000 members and acts as the professional body for GPs, announced last week that it was no longer formally opposed to assisted dying, instead adopting a “neutral” position.
But critics say this shift to an impartial stance is “baffling”, given that a poll of Royal College of GPs (RCGP) members shows support for assisted dying among GPs has fallen sharply in recent years.
More than 250 GPs have signed a letter to The Times today, expressing their disappointment in the college’s leadership.
All members were sent a survey between January 25 and February 10 asking them for their views on assisted dying. There were 8,779 responses.
This showed that 47.5 per cent believed the RCGP should remain opposed to assisted dying, while only 13.6 per cent supporting the idea of a neutral position.
Meanwhile, 33.7 per cent wanted their organisation to support the legalisation of assisted dying — down from 40 per cent in 2019, the last time members were surveyed on the issue.
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