CPS ‘partially supports’ assisted dying with pharmacist ‘opt-out’ clause
The Scottish pharmacy negotiator has said that it backs plans to introduce legal assisted dying for terminally ill people aged 18 and over, with certain caveats.
Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) has revealed that it “partially supports” the Scottish parliament’s proposal to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults.
In a consultation response published by the negotiator yesterday (August 1), it said that “as an organisation, CPS has an interest in this as ultimately [its] members and their teams will be asked to supply these substances”.
But it said that the possible responsibilities of community pharmacy are “unclear” in current proposals, which do not describe “prescribing, dispensing and disposal of any voluntary assisted dying substance”.
“More detail on the role of the wider primary healthcare team including community pharmacists is required in future stages of the bill,” it added.
“Conscientious objection”
CPS said that the proposed bill “strikes an appropriate balance by requiring that there are medical practitioners involved, but also allowing those with a conscientious objection to opt out”.
The Scottish parliament has proposed that “no-one, including registered medical practitioners and other health professionals, should…be required to play a hands-on part in providing assisted dying if they have a conscientious objection to doing so”.
CPS said that the inclusion of an opt-out clause for healthcare professionals was “welcome”, adding that it believes the option would be “desired by the profession”.
But the negotiator said that it disagreed with plans to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill people “aged 16 or over”.
It stressed that “the minimum age should be 18” as “this would seem around the correct age for informed consent to be enabled”.
Read more: The assisted dying debate
In 2015, a bill to allow healthcare professionals to legally assist in a suicide was turned down by Members of Scottish Parliament (MSPs).
At the time, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) had drafted plans for Scottish pharmacists to assist with suicides if they were legalised.
It had also called for a clause to be included to ensure pharmacists could conscientiously object to assisting in a suicide.
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