103 doctors, including several members of the British Medical Association, have signed an open letter urging the BMA to end its opposition to assisted dying. The UK Assisted Dying Coalition, which includes Humanists UK, has organised the letter. It comes ahead of the BMA’s annual policy-making conference, where doctors will debate on 14 September the Trade Union’s stance on law reform.
According to the BMA members’ survey, only a third of UK doctors (33%) want the BMA to remain opposed to assisted dying. 40% want the BMA to support a change in the law, and 21% think the BMA should neither support nor oppose new legislation. This means that 61%, a large majority, are in favour of the BMA ending its hostility to assisted dying.
The same survey found that half of all doctors personally support changing the law. And a majority (59%) believe assisted dying should be available for either the terminally ill or incurably suffering.
Prominent signatories to the letter include Dr Graham Winyard, the former Deputy Chief Medical Officer of NHS England; Dr Henry Marsh, one of the UK’s top brain surgeons who – following a cancer diagnosis – recently called for a parliamentary inquiry into assisted dying, backed by 56 MPs and peers.
Later this year, Parliament is due to debate assisted dying for the first time in over half a decade. It will consider Baroness Meacher’s Assisted Dying Bill at its second reading. In Scotland, Liam McArthur MSP has also announced his intention to bring forward a private members’ bill. Both laws would allow assisted dying for adults of sound mind who have a terminal diagnosis.
Speaking about his support for the open letter Dr Henry Marsh said:
‘Having gone to the effort of surveying its members and producing one of the largest surveys of medical opinion ever, it would be a disgrace if the BMA now disregarded their wishes by maintaining its opposition to assisted dying. Doctors must be allowed to speak up for changes in the law that would help their patients. And importantly, ensure that lawmakers do not exclude those with incurable conditions from future legislation. Over the course of my career, I was pleased to witness a shift away from paternalism within modern healthcare. Although a vocal minority may not like it, doctors should not be the arbiters of who gets the freedom to choose whether to live or die. That choice belongs to each individual. The BMA’s policy shouldn’t pretend otherwise.’
Dr Graham Winyard said:
‘In every other aspect of medical practice, doctors accept that the wishes of their patients must be respected. This vote gives the BMA the opportunity to finally respect the clear wish of the public, its patients, and stop its opposition to assisted dying.’
Humanist UK’s Chief Executive Andrew Copson said:
‘Doctors sent a clear message last year when a majority voted to end the BMA’s opposition to assisted dying. With people now living for longer but in poorer health and pain, it’s clear that attitudes have shifted. Bolstered by evidence from abroad that the choice of a peaceful death can be combined alongside robust safeguards, half of all doctors now personally favour changing the law for those suffering from either terminal or incurable illnesses. We hope the BMA will listen to the clear view of its members and drop its outdated hostility to assisted dying which is lacking in compassion, dignity, and respect.’
The full letter and signatories are below.
We represent a broad coalition of medics, including members of the British Medical Association (BMA), and call upon the BMA to respect the outcome of its independent members’ survey on assisted dying, and to adopt a neutral stance on law reform.
In an era when modern medicine can extend the length of an individual’s life, but not necessarily its quality, we believe that those with terminal or incurable conditions deserve a choice about how, where, and when they die.
As medical professionals, we believe that it is our first responsibility to preserve life. But that does not mean we should prolong it at any cost. We advocate for the provision of high-quality palliative care. Yet we recognise, as both the European Association of Palliative Care and Palliative Care Australia have concluded, that strong palliative medicine and the choice of an assisted death are not mutually exclusive.
Of course, individual doctors who oppose legal changes should have a right to have their voices heard. But their convictions should not silence the majority of us (61% according to the BMA’s survey) who support a change in the BMA’s policy.
With the possibility of legislation now in sight, neutrality will allow us to contribute our expertise and better inform the public’s debate. But importantly, with the momentum behind this cause continuing to grow, it will also show our patients that we are listening to their concerns and that we respect their choices.
As medics, we pledged to respect our patients’ autonomy. Now is the moment to put such a principle into action.
Notes:
For further comment or information, please contact Humanists UK Director of Public Affairs and Policy Richy Thompson at press@humanists.uk or phone 020 7324 3072 or 020 3675 0959.
Read more about the UK Assisted Dying Coalition and its work: www.assisteddying.org.uk
Read more about Humanists UK’s campaign to legalise assisted dying: https://humanists.uk/campaigns/public-ethical-issues/assisted-dying/
Read more about the BMA members’ survey on assisted dying: https://www.bma.org.uk/media/3367/bma-physician-assisted-dying-survey-report-oct-2020.pdf
Full list of signatories:
Dr Henry Marsh
Dr Graham Winyard
Dr Michael Irwin
Sir Iain Chalmers
Dr Martin Scurr
Dr Rhiannon Lewis
Dr Matthew Cripps
Dr Paul Kitchener
Dr Simon Kenwright
Dr John Porter
Dr James Powell
Dr Tess Harris
Dr Hugh Newman
Dr Adam Bakker
Dr Nicholas Barnes
Dr Dilys Gannon-Ball
Dr Margaret Branthwaite
Dr Pam Wortley
Dr Elizabeth Devonald
Dr Angela Munden
Dr Josep Arnau
Dr Jennifer Burkett
Dr Susan Dilly
Dr Peter Hetherington
Dr Denise Bound
Dr Clive Studd
Dr Samantha Smith
Dr Miriam Day
Dr David Penwarden
Dr Josh Taylor
Dr Kenneth Wolfe
Dr Antony Lempert
Dr Noreen Mary Soar
Dr Edith Susan Mowbray
Dr Alexander Hunter Adam
Dr Christopher John Toynton
Dr Roger Allsopp
Dr Bruce Mackay
Dr Thomas Rousell Lee
Dr Sujata Rao
Dr Francis Degnen
Dr Ian S R Parson
Dr Sam Kirkwood
Dr Robert Humphreys
Dr Clive Barker
Dr Alan Cooper
Dr Rosemarie Jones
Dr Hubert Curran
Dr Francis Ronald John Hinde
Dr Anita Rita Kalns-Timans
Dr Noel Scott
Dr John Nicholas
Dr Thomas Young
Dr Daniel Charles Lane
Dr Rajin Chowdhury
Dr Ali Meads
Dr Robin Barber
Dr Richard Morey
Dr Trevor John Laundy
Dr Suparna Sukumaran
Dr Gayle McDonald
Dr Chris Clough
Dr Alison Murray
Dr J H Newman
Dr Julian Davis
Dr Caroline Jessel
Dr Roger M Peberdy
Dr Richard I Harris
Dr John Beverley Webb
Dr Juan Corlett Mason
Dr Anthony F M Brierley
Dr Christopher Healey
Dr Jane Lofts
Dr Laurence Smaje
Dr Debbie Shipley
Dr Gillian MacDougall
Dr Judy Greenwood
Dr Omar Hilmi
Dr Peter Sandercock
Dr Allison Thomas
Dr Michael Sudlow
Dr Mark Worsley
Dr Malcolm Macleod
Dr Ewen Stewart
Professor Richard Knight
Dr Shiona Mackie
Dr Katharine Morrison
Dr Jack Macfie
Dr Stephen McCabe
Dr Karen Rookwood
Dr Gordon Drummond
Dr Douglas Keay
Dr Phil Hammond
Dr Rosemary Leonard
Dr Jane Reid
Dr Pauline Kaczmarek
Dr Ann Mallon
Dr Debs Brown
Dr Wendy Dove
Dr Steve Guest
Dr Titilayomi Khadijah Bunmi Shonubi
Dr Derek Cooper
Dr Ilanka Elizabeth Cunningham
About the BMA
The British Medical Association has been opposed to assisted dying since 2006. In 2005, it was briefly neutral on the topic. On 14 September, it is expected to vote on whether to change its stance on assisted dying at its annual policy making conference (the Annual Representative Meeting).
In October 2020, the British Medical Association announced the outcome of its members’ survey on assisted dying. The BMA heard from almost 29,000 doctors and medical students and found 40% said the BMA should actively support a change in the law; 21% favoured neutrality; 33% wanted to remain opposed. This totals 61% calling for the BMA to change its current hostile position on assisted dying.
The results also found that 50% personally believe that doctors should be able to prescribe life-ending drugs for patients to take themselves. Moreover, when asked who should be eligible for an assisted death if the law were to change, 59% felt that patients with physical conditions causing intolerable suffering which cannot be relieved should be; whereas only 24% thought patients suffering from a condition likely to cause death in six months or less should be the only people eligible.
About the Assisted Dying Coalition
The Assisted Dying Coalition is the UK and Crown dependencies coalition of organisations working in favour of the legal recognition of the right to die, for individuals who have a clear and settled wish to end their life and who are terminally ill or facing incurable suffering.
It is made up of End of Life Choices Jersey, Friends at the End, Humanist Society Scotland, Humanists UK, and My Death, My Decision.
About Humanists UK
Humanists UK is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people. Powered by 100,000 members and supporters, we advance free thinking and promote humanism to create a tolerant society where rational thinking and kindness prevail. We provide ceremonies, pastoral care, education, and support services benefitting over a million people every year and our campaigns advance humanist thinking on ethical issues, human rights, and equal treatment for all.
In 2021, Humanists UK is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a renewed focus on its history. The new website Humanist Heritage is a rich new web resource that uncovers the untold story of humanism in the UK – a story of people, groups, objects, places, movements, publications, and ideas.