ANY LEGISLATION REGARDING THIS ISSUE MUST STIPULATE EXPLICIT LEGAL PROTECTION FOR PHARMACISTS
‘The latest figures,’ said Ally Thomson, director of Dignity in Dying Scotland, ‘clearly illustrate a strong appetite among Scots for action to introduce a safe and compassionate assisted dying law.
‘The time has come to replace the outdated blanket ban, currently in place with legislation which is aligned with public opinion. Dying citizens cannot afford to wait to know that they will be able to access a peaceful and dignified death so we are urging the Scottish Parliament to listen to the public and address this issue urgently.’
So, if this Bill was to go through, what would be the role of the pharmacist?
In its submission to the government in March, Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS), which has declared itself ‘undecided on the proposed Bill’, said that pharmacists would have to be ‘fully informed around the supply element’ since, once a GP writes a script for the medication required, it will the pharmacist who will dispense it.
‘It would be useful,’ CPS said in its submission, ‘for pharmacists to be considered as a full
member of the team and brought into discussions at an appropriate stage when the supply has been authorised or being considered.
‘We are keen that pharmacists asked to dispense medication for the use in assisted suicide are clearly provided with proof that the prescriber intends the supply of medicine for that use. This documentation would support pharmacists being able to choose whether to supply the medicine or refer the patient to another pharmacy.
‘A GP will issue a prescription for the drugs to be used to commit the act, but it is not immediately clear if the fourteen-day time limit starts at that point or at the point in which the prescription is dispensed. There could easily be a delay between the issuing and dispensing of the prescription, and the imposition of such a time limit could place ASB452 unwanted extra pressure/stress on the assisted person. There will also be extra stress placed on any pharmacist involved in the supply.’
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Scotland is taking a neutral stand on the issue.
‘As the Royal Pharmaceutical Society is a membership body,’ said Laura Wilson, Policy and Practice Lead, RPS Scotland, ‘there is a wide spectrum of members’ views to be considered and respected. It is therefore important for the RPS to maintain a neutral position. This neutral stances means that we are neither for or against any legalisation on assisted dying, but will be involved in the debate around this issue on any proposed legislation to ensure that the views of pharmacists are taken into account and that any future Bills or legislation reflect and fit in with pharmacy practice.
‘The RPS has been clear that any legislation regarding this issue must stipulate explicit legal protection for pharmacists, and that there must be a conscience clause, so that pharmacists can decline to dispense for an assisted suicide procedure on moral, ethical, or religious grounds. Where a pharmacist or pharmacy technician chooses to participate in an approved process for an assisted dying procedure, our policy also states that there must be explicit protection in place in the legislation for them to be protected from prosecution.’
THE LATEST FIGURES CLEARLY ILLUSTRATE A STRONG APPETITE AMONG SCOTS FOR ACTION TO INTRODUCE A SAFE AND COMPASSIONATE ASSISTED DYING LAW
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