Good afternoon friend,
Finally something that has seemed somewhat thin on the ground in the last couple of weeks - some good news!
Since our last email about the Royal College of GPs (RCGP), our supporters sent over 5000 emails to the College demanding they publish the full weighted results of their recent survey on assisted dying. Due to the pressure this created, they have done exactly that.
The weighted results (which account for the over- or under-representation of certain groups in the survey response), reveal that opposition has dropped lower and support has risen higher than the RCGP originally indicated1. You can read about this in more detail in our press release.
This new evidence further undermines the College's opposed stance. Only neutrality can send the right message to doctors and the public - that this issue must be decided by society as a whole, not by a handful of doctors voting in secret.
Although this is welcome news, the RCGP still has questions to answer. Why weren’t these more representative results published with the results of the poll? Did the RCGP Council have access to this information before making its decision to reject a neutral position? The RCGP has still provided no explanation for why its Council decided to override the will of its membership.
These results make it clearer than ever that moving to a neutral position is the only defensible stance for the RCGP to take. We advocate for a neutral position because it allows the range of voices and views to be represented. But we also know that a neutral position is the only one that allows society, rather than doctors, to continue this debate.
The actions of our supporters have successfully held the RCGP to account. The RCGP may never have released this information if it wasn’t for your commitment to the campaign, and to transparency and honesty from the medical profession.
We are making a difference.
All the best,
