C+D Snap Poll: 74% of pharmacists in favour of assisted dying
Three quarters of pharmacists agree with proposals to legalise assisted dying in some capacity, a C+D poll reveals.
The result comes after Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) revealed it “partially supports” the Scottish parliament’s proposal earlier this month (August 2) to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults.
At the time, CPS said that the inclusion of an opt-out clause for healthcare professionals was “welcome”, adding it would be “desired by the profession”.
But when asked if they agreed with the proposals, only 38% of the 188 respondents to C+D’s poll answered “yes – with an opt out clause”.
Meanwhile, 36% agreed to legislation without the clause.
Less than 20% of respondents said they disagreed entirely, while just 7% said they didn’t know what they thought.
“I don't want any lectures”
The results are a far cry from the response by pharmacists to a similar C+D poll in 2015, when the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) drafted plans for Scottish pharmacists to assist with suicides if the law was changed.
At the time, almost half of respondents polled by C+D said that assisting in a death would not “fit with their role as a care-giver”.
But retired pharmacist Richard Rutter reflected the changing attitude on C+D community last week (August 6).
“What I really don't want is to be kept going when my quality of life deteriorates to an extent that I have a pretty miserable existence with no prospect of any improvement,” he said.
“What is the point – it's surely for me to decide to go a little earlier if I'm in a sound state of mind,” he added.
“I don't want any lectures from misguided souls who may think it's not in my best interest for me to choose what I want,” Rutter said.
Read more: The assisted dying debate
Earlier this month, CPS said that that the responsibilities of community pharmacy under Scottish parliament’s new assisted dying proposals were “unclear”.
The negotiator also disagreed with plans to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill people “aged 16 or over”, saying that the minimum age should be bumped to 18.
The previous version of the bill, which would have allowed healthcare professionals to legally assist in a suicide was turned down by Members of Scottish Parliament (MSPs) in 2015.
At the time, the RPS had called for a clause to be included to ensure pharmacists could conscientiously object to assisting in a suicide.
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