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Just over half of pharmacists support assisted dying, a survey conducted by The Pharmaceutical Journal has found.
Of the 755 respondents to a question asking if they supported assisted dying in principle, 54% (n=408) said they did support it.
The survey also revealed that just over one-third (35%, n=267) of respondents said they did not support assisted dying, while 11% (n=80) said that they were unsure where they stood on the issue.
All participants in the survey, which was undertaken in September 2025, were members of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).
The question emphasised that it was not asking for views on the specific content of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill — which is currently going through Parliament — nor the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill, but only the general principle of assisted dying.
The question received from across the pharmacy sector, including community pharmacy, hospital, general practice, academia and industry, including students and retired pharmacists.
The greatest degree of support for assisted dying in principle was recorded in general practice pharmacists, at 67% (n=52). Support for the principle of assisted dying among hospital pharmacists was a slightly lower than the overall figure at 49% (n=119).
There was no significant difference in degree of support across the three GB nations.
Commenting on the findings, Laura Wilson, director for Scotland at the RPS, said: “The RPS has a neutral organisational position on assisted dying. We are conscious that there are a range of views amongst RPS members, and the survey results demonstrate this.
“Although we are neutral on the principle of assisted dying, we are not neutral on the process. If legislation is passed to legalise assisted dying, we are of the opinion that all pharmacists should either be able to take part, or not take part, based on their individual ethical, moral or religious beliefs.”
Wilson added that as legislation has progressed through both Westminster and Holyrood, the RPS has “advocated to ensure that there are sufficient protections for pharmacists who wish to either take part or not take part in the process and that the precise role of the pharmacist in the process is clearly set out”.
“We continue to play an active part in the policy making progress as we advocate for these principles,” she added.
In May 2025, the House of Commons backed an amendment to the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill that explicitly states that pharmacists and pharmacy technicians would be under no obligation to supply substances to be used in assisted dying.
The Scottish Bill includes a clause that allows conscientious objection to involvement in assisted dying; however, there is no specific mention of pharmacists or pharmacy technicians.
The survey findings closely mirror that of a similar question asked by the British Medical Association (BMA) in 2020.
When the BMA asked its members if they supported physician-assisted dying, half of the respondents (50%) believed that there should be a change in the law to permit doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs.
In addition, just under four in ten (39%) respondents did not support the idea, while just over one in ten (11%) were undecided.
