Leading doctors have dropped their opposition to assisted dying, controversial poll shows

LEADING doctors have dropped their opposition to assisted dying.

But opponents yesterday accused them of rigging the controversial poll.

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The Royal College of Physicians now has a neutral stance on whether the law should be changed so people can be helped to die.

Some 31.6 per cent want the RCP to support a change in the law, while 43.4 per cent want to oppose it.

The College, which represents 36,000 medics, adopted a neutral stance as there was no clear majority.

One in four (24.6 per cent) even said they would be prepared to “participate actively” in assisted dying.

RCP president Prof Andrew Goddard said: “It is clear there is a range of views on assisted dying in medicine, just as there is in society.”

The last time the RCP held a poll, in 2014, 24.6 per cent wanted to support a law change and 44.3 per cent to oppose it.

Campaign group Dignity in Dying welcomed the result as “balanced and compassionate”.

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Opponents warned the poll was “sanitised” by changing the wording from “assisted suicide” to “assisted dying”.

Prof Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, from Living and Dying Well, said: “It cannot be regarded as a serious expression of medical opinion and has damaged the College’s reputation.”

The College sent the survey to 23,662 subscribing fellows and members and got responses from 6,885, or 29 per cent.

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