The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS) has announced it is dropping its official opposition to assisted suicide and will instead be neutral. 

The organisation's council approved the shift after a survey of its members earlier this year found that nearly three quarters (72%) supported a change in stance. 

Over half (52%) said they were in favour of the RCS supporting a change to the current law on assisted suicide. 

Three in five members (61%) said that they personally supported the legalisation of assisted suicide, against 29% who said they were opposed. 

The most common reasons for supporting assisted suicide were patient choice and autonomy, and the belief that "patients should not have to suffer/experience poor quality of life". 

The RCS had previously adopted an official position of opposition to assisted suicide in 2014. 

The change to a neutral position means that the RCS will neither support nor oppose attempts to change the law.

"As a professional body we have a duty and a responsibility to reflect all members' interests and concerns in any future legislative proposals and we will continue to engage with our members to understand their views," it said. 

The RCS of England follows in the footsteps of the British Medical Association, the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Nursing, which have all adopted a neutral stance in recent years.

Christian groups like The Christian Institute and CARE are strongly opposed to assisted suicide, warning that it will remove protections for vulnerable people and be the start of a slippery slope towards ever widening criteria, as seen in places like the Netherlands and Belgium where the practice is already legal, including for minors and mentally ill people.