A panel appointed by the federal government to come up with safeguards for doctor-assisted dying has come up with five recommendations.
Dr. Harvey Max Chochinov is the chair of the panel which studied last year’s ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada, which struck down legislation banning doctor-assisted suicides and gave the federal government a year to comply.
“We believe that a system can be designed so that Canadians requesting assistance from physicians to end their lives can do so without jeopordizing the lives of vulnerable persons who may be subject to coercion and abuse,” says Chochinov.
The five safeguards are legislation about doctor-assisted death must not perpetuate disadvantage or contribute to social vulnerability, the patient faces end-of-life conditions, voluntary and capable consent by the patient, assessment of suffering and vulnerability, and arms-length prior review obtained by a judge or body with expertise in the field of health care.
