The Royal College of Pathologists has said it is opposed to current proposals to legalise assisted suicide, saying that its members are not qualified to review the decision-making process leading to an individual's death.
The legislation, should it pass, would require medical examiners to look into the circumstances of a person’s death. The Royal College of Pathologists denied having any moral or ethical position on the proposals but cited professional concerns.
Dr Suzy Lishman, senior adviser on medical examiners for the Royal College of Pathologists, said in a statement, “The college’s concerns relate only to the involvement of medical examiners after an assisted death has taken place.
“As part of their scrutiny, medical examiners would need to review the process leading up to the decision to authorise an assisted death and the circumstances of the assisted death, which they are not qualified to do.
“Notification to the coroner following an assisted death would ensure independent judicial review, which is particularly important given the concerns raised by many individuals, organisations and medical royal colleges about the lack of adequate safeguards in the Bill for vulnerable people."
She added, “Lawyers, not doctors, are the most appropriate professionals to review these deaths. The medical examiner system was implemented to detect problems with medical care, not to identify discrepancies or malintent in the legal process required for assisted deaths.”
Dr Lishman also noted that by giving medical examiners these additional responsibilities, there is potential for other areas of their work to suffer neglect.
Last month the Royal College of Psychiatrists came out against the bill, saying it could be used to terminate the lives of people with treatable mental illnesses. The former chief coroner of England and Wales, Thomas Teague KC, has also expressed concerns, telling The Telegraph that the lack of coroner involvement in the proposed legislation opens the door to misfeasance.
