Clare Gerada tells us that the collective view of GPs ‘should be confined to speaking on those issues where we have an expertise that goes beyond that of the public’.1 It would appear she does not believe ‘assisted dying’ to be one of these. I would be all in favour of the medical profession standing back from this issue provided ‘assisted dying’ isn't placed on the shoulders of doctors; as the campaigners want. They cannot be allowed to have it both ways: to insist that doctors should carry out ‘assisted dying’ but tell them they must stand back as a profession on the question of whether such practices should be legalised. Dr Gerada says that ‘Parliament, not the profession, must decide this issue’. Parliament has decided this issue on at least two occasions in recent years: the answer was No. The trouble is that pro-euthanasia campaigners will not accept the will of Parliament.
- © British Journal of General Practice 2013
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