BMA survey shows overwhelming support for assisted dying policy change

October 8, 2020

Assisted Dying

The British Medical Association have today revealed the results of the largest ever UK-wide survey of doctors on the issue of assisted dying. The results show that almost two-thirds of doctors believe that the BMA should either be supportive or neutral on the matter of assisted dying. Currently the BMA are opposed to any changes on the laws regarding assisted dying. This opposition has led to MSPs rejecting previous attempts by Margo MacDonald to change the law in this area.

Commenting on the results, Chief Executive of Humanist Society Scotland, Fraser Sutherland, said:

This biggest ever survey of doctors confirms they do not believe that the BMA should attempt to block proposals to allow people the choice of an assisted death in Scotland.

These new groundbreaking findings add to the fact that an overwhelming majority of the Scottish public support giving dying people the choice to end pain and suffering at the end of their life.

These findings, alongside further developments in other countries around the world, will bear further pressure on the next Scottish Parliament after the election to look again at the right to choose an assisted death in Scotland

To read the BMA survey results in full, head to https://www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/ethics/end-of-life/physician-assisted-dying-survey