Dear Editor
I propose that the idea of autonomy and choice is being very much eroded by this heavy handed Assisted Dying Bill. .
A terminally ill person on the path to their death is surely past the stage of being seen primarily as a ‘patient’ even if accepting help from clinicians. ( As Jason Boland says in his comment
‘(NB: Although I use the word patient, as this is about interactions with clinicians, it is really about the person..)
The person will not have true autonomy if this Bill is passed as it is. Others will have the primary right to decide on another’s life and death.. This must be made clear in any discussions. As it is the idea of assisted dying has in some minds expanded far from a wish for a doctor to provide the means . As well as a ‘patient’ s/he will become a – what, a ‘client’? of all the others proposing to get involved, such as judges and other designated experts.. Will persons have a say in who turns up to ‘assess’ them? It has become a rather gruesome scenario almost designed to cause more stress and harm . For some if this ‘processing’ becomes unbearable they are likely to pushed into taking another option , that of suicide .
Re: Helen Salisbury: The assisted dying bill must be accompanied by a funding boost for palliative care