It is doctors who would have to make this law work, and many of their professional bodies have raised serious concerns or declined to support the Bill.
Several Royal Colleges have highlighted concerns, including:
- The difficulty of accurately predicting a six-month prognosis
- The risk of being asked to assess capacity or coercion without proper training, time or the necessary tools
- Worries about the impact on the doctor–patient relationship if physicians move from a role of care to one that includes ending life, especially for vulnerable minority groups already less likely to trust the medical profession
Many doctors also point out that they didn’t enter the profession to do this, and point to the risk that it will drive people out of medicine.
“Doctors have voted decisively against the details of this Assisted Dying Bill. My MP colleagues need to understand the significance of this position. This was not a vote against the principle of assisted dying, but a vote borne of concern for the NHS and their patients from the specifics of this Bill.”
— Dr Zubir Ahmed MP