Fix palliative care, before introducing assisted suicide say most Brits

Source: Care Not Killing

The governments in Westminster and Holyrood should fix the palliative care system before introducing assisted suicide or euthanasia, finds a major new Whitestone poll from Care Not Killing (CNK).

The poll reveals deep concern over NHS capacity to handle law change safely, with a 3-to-1 ratio believing the health service is "too stretched" and "underfunded" to cope with a change.

Asked about the statement "The NHS is too stretched and under-funded to enable confidence that everyone offered an assisted suicide would be properly looked after", six in 10 (61 per cent) of those surveyed said they agreed with one in five (20 per cent) disagreeing. Among disabled people, the figures were even more striking, with the percentage of those agreeing rising to 64 per cent, with just 19 per cent disagreeing.

The poll commissioned by CNK, the UK's leading anti-assisted dying campaign group, is being released ahead of today's vote in the Scottish Parliament. It reveals that the British public overwhelmingly prioritises the universal availability of high-quality palliative care over the introduction of assisted suicide laws.

In response to the statement "It is essential that high-quality hospice and/or palliative care is universally available before any assisted suicide laws are passed", fully two-thirds (67 per cent) agreed, including seven in 10 of Labour 2024 voters. By contrast, just one in six (17 per cent) disagreed. Excluding the 15 per cent who answered 'don't know' this increases to eight in 10 (79 per cent) agreeing and one in five (21 per cent) disagreeing.

The survey of more than 2,000 UK adults, carried out by Whitestone Insight, a member of the British Polling Council, shows that assisted dying is not the vote-winner that Sir Keir Starmer and Labour grandees such as Lord Falconer believe it to be.

Instead, the public wants the governments in London and Edinburgh to fix the UK's end-of-life care crisis before considering legislative change. Half of the public (50 per cent) believe the idea of introducing assisted suicide should be "set aside for the time being" and only revisited once palliative care is properly funded-a view shared by nearly six in 10 of current Labour supporters.

The poll is being published ahead of voting in Holyrood on Liam MacArthur's assisted suicide bill.

Dr Gordon Macdonald, CEO of Care Not Killing, commented: "This poll strongly suggests that assisted dying, an already controversial issue, has become even more toxic. Indeed, the public do not trust the ability of an overstretched and underfunded health system to introduce assisted dying safely and want politicians to focus on fixing the broken palliative care system.

Despite claims of a "public clamour" for a change in the law, the poll found that only 44 per cent of Britons believe assisted suicide would make the UK a better place to live. A majority (57 per cent) either disagree or remain unsure.

The survey also uncovered significant scepticism among ethnic minority communities, where more respondents disagreed than agreed (40 per cent to 32 per cent) that the law change would enhance the country.

Dr Macdonald concluded: "This poll sends a clear message to Westminster - the public wants the Government to fix our failing palliative care system before even considering a dangerous change to the law. They rightly have a deep-seated and rational fear that our NHS cannot safely manage assisted suicide without putting vulnerable and disabled people at risk. Exactly as we have seen in the small number of other jurisdictions that have legalised assisted killing. Places where we have seen people denied everything from advanced medical treatment to basic care and supported living, but at the same time, offered an assisted death.

"The political priority must be to give patients a genuine choice through world-class hospice care, not turning doctors into executioners because fixing palliative care is too difficult and costly and the public will punish any party at the ballot box that thinks differently."

Methodology note: Whitestone Insight surveyed 2080 UK adults online on 18-19 February 2026. Data were weighted to be representative of all adults. Whitestone Insight is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.

Care Not Killing is a UK-based alliance bringing together over 40 organisations - human rights and disability rights organisations, health care and palliative care groups, faith-based organisations groups - and thousands of concerned individuals.

We have three key aims:

to promote more and better palliative care;
to ensure that existing laws against euthanasia and assisted suicide are not weakened or repealed;
to inform public opinion further against any weakening of the law.

If you would like to talk with someone about issues raised in this article, the Samaritans are available 24 hours a day. Call free on 116 123 or visit: www.samaritans.org

Read more about Care Not Killing: https://carenotkilling.org.uk/