Assisted dying

Abstract

The Royal College of Physicians took a neutral position on the House of Lords Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill Bill. While modern palliative care and the hospice approach have greatly reduced terminal suffering, they do not always achieve total relief of distressing symptoms - the majority of dying patients and their families probably do not receive optimal terminal care. In this article I try to rebut the common arguments against assisted dying and add some arguments in favour. I suggest that on this issue the medical professions are out of tune with majority public opinion.