Royal College of Psychiatrists Announces It ‘Cannot Support’ Assisted Suicide Bill

It comes a day after Scottish lawmakers backed a similar bill, with the proposed legislation set to continue moving through Holyrood.

People take part in a demonstration to oppose the Terminally Ill Adults Bill at Old Palace Yard in Westminster, London, on Nov. 29, 2024. Yui Mok/PA Wire

A leading group of psychiatrists has said it cannot support Labour MP Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide bill, owing to there being “too many unanswered questions” about the safeguarding of people with mental illness.

On Wednesday, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych) raised concerns about the ambiguity in the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, which applies to England and Wales.

These concerns include uncertainty around when clinicians should invoke existing mental health laws to support terminally ill individuals seeking to end their lives, while still ensuring the protection and treatment of those at risk of suicide.

The RCPsych maintains a neutral stance on the principle of assisted suicide, but the bill’s rejection is likely a setback for supporters. An amendment had proposed a greater role for psychiatrists in evaluating assisted suicide applications, which sponsors viewed as a way to strengthen “safeguards.”

Dr. Lade Smith CBE, president of the RCPsych, said that after extensive engagement with members and its assisted suicide working group, “the RCPsych has reached the conclusion that we are not confident in the Terminally Ill Adults Bill in its current form, and we therefore cannot support the Bill as it stands.”

‘Not a Treatment Option’

In its press release, the professional medical body outlined several flaws it found in the bill, which it urged MPs to consider before its return to the House of Commons on Friday for the Report Stage debate and Third Reading.

This includes the lack of clarity in the bill’s wording on whether assisted suicide is a “treatment option.”

“Assisted dying/assisted suicide (AD/AS) is not a treatment,” the RCPsych said, stating explicitly that “AD/AS does not aim to improve a person’s health and its intended consequence is death.”

“The Bill does not specify whether AD/AS is considered a treatment option and this ambiguity has major implications in law in England and Wales. Should this Bill proceed, it should be explicit that AD/AS is not a treatment option,” it added.

The professionals also highlighted the omission of a mandatory holistic assessment of unmet needs, which could determine whether a terminally-ill person’s desire to end their own life is driven by other, treatable factors, such as intolerable pain, inadequate care, or financial hardship.

Smith said on this point that it is “integral to a psychiatrist’s role to consider how people’s unmet needs affect their desire to live. The Bill, as proposed, does not honour this role, or require other clinicians involved in the process to consider whether someone’s decision to die might change with better support.”

Scotland Backs Bill

The announcement came the day after members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) backed the general principles of a similar bill north of the border.

Holyrood voted by 70 votes in favour of and 56 against the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, which was introduced by Liberal Democrat MSP Liam McArthur. It will now face further votes at different stages before it can become law.

People take part in a demonstration organised by campaign group Dignity in Dying outside the Houses of Parliament in support of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in Westminster, London, on Nov. 29, 2024. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Pro-assisted suicide group Dignity in Dying Scotland called the vote “a watershed moment for compassion.”

However, pro-life group Christian Action Research and Education (CARE) said it was “deeply saddened” by the news and their thoughts will be with disabled Scots and many others “who will be feeling great anxiety.”

Stuart Weir, head of CARE in Scotland, added that the bill will undermine suicide prevention in Scotland, and that vulnerable and marginalised people will be most at risk.

Leadbeater ‘Pleased’ by Scotland’s Vote

Leadbeater responded to the news on social media platform X on Tuesday: “So pleased to see Scotland vote in favour of the principle of  Assisted Dying. Personal stories are making clear: the status quo cannot be defended any longer & Parliaments across the world are listening.”

Posting to X on Monday ahead of her own bill returning to Parliament, Leadbeater said, “Across the political divide, people are united on the need for a change in the law to give terminally ill people choice and dignity in their dying days.”

Labour MP Kim Leadbeater in her office in the Houses of Parliament, London, on Nov. 11, 2024. Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

The Labour MP for Spen Valley had said at the time she proposed her Private Members’ Bill that it “will contain the strictest protections and safeguards of any legislation anywhere in the world.”

However, she and her bill received criticism when plans were announced to replace final High Court judge approval for assisted suicide applications with a panel comprised of a senior legal figure, a social worker, and a psychiatrist, which some MPs said was a watering-down of the original safeguards.