Nurses in assisted suicide talk

Ms MacDonald hopes to introduce her bill later this year

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in Scotland has said it will talk to the Independent MSP Margo MacDonald about her proposals on assisted suicide.

It comes after the RCN became the first major medical institution to drop its long-standing opposition to the idea of helping patients kill themselves.

Margo MacDonald hopes to introduce her bill to legalise assisted suicide in Scotland in the autumn.

She said she would be very grateful for nurses' input.

The comments by the Scottish arm of the nursing body comes after the RCN dropped its opposition to the concept of helping patients to commit suicide.

The college, which represents 400,000 members, has now adopted a neutral stance, neither supporting nor opposing a change in the law.

The RCN recognises that there is a public mood to deal with choices at the end of life

Margo MacDonald

The RCN vote on Friday follows a three-month consultation of members, which drew over 1,200 individual responses.

Of those, 49% supported assisted suicide, but 40% were opposed to the concept.

Members of the RCN council also decided that nurses should be given detailed guidance on the issue, which will now be drawn up.

In Scotland, the organisation also said it wanted to ensure there was guidance and protection for patients and staff.

It said it would work with Ms MacDonald on the details of her proposals for a bill.

Remains opposed

Ms MacDonald, who suffers from Parkinson's disease, has expressed her own wish to choose a dignified death.

She told the BBC: "The RCN recognises that there is a public mood to deal with choices at the end of life.

"They recognise that their members will be asked by patients about it because very often the relationship between the nurse and the patient, particularly now that we have the specialist nurses, is perhaps the closest one."

The British Medical Association remains opposed to assisted suicide, having briefly and controversially adopted a neutral stance several years ago.