English psychiatrists oppose the assisted suicide bill in parliament

The Royal College of Psychiatrists at a Thursday hearing doubled down on its opposition to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) bill, which would legalize assisted suicide in England and Wales. Annabel Price, the psychiatrists’ representative, told members of Parliament that the college still had concerns about consent procedures in the bill, according to a clip shared on social media.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists first expressed opposition to the bill in May. The professional group raised concerns that the measure didn’t include a mechanism for evaluating what unmet needs in a person’s life might be pushing them toward suicide. The bill also lacked protections for professionals who didn’t want to refer patients for assisted dying, the college said.

Did other professional medical associations reject the bill? Representatives from the Royal Colleges of General Practitioners and Pathology also opposed elements of the bill at hearings on Wednesday and Thursday. The British Association of Social Workers and the former chief coroner for England and Wales also took issue with parts of it. The chief coroner said that, contrary to the bill, assisted suicides should always be investigated, according to The Standard. Several other British professional medical associations also previously said they could not support the bill.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on faith-based organizations’ day of prayer against the assisted suicide bill and a similar one in Scotland.