Assisted Suicide.

[Russ]

Originally Posted by danielf

I would think that allowing a spouse or relative in assisting in suicide would probably be risky. Allowing a GP or (panel of) medical experts that have no personal relation to the patient in question to assist would be a safer bet imo.

Having a relative to be involved would surely be the next step if allowing a doctor to do it became legal.

[danielf]

Originally Posted by Russ

Having a relative to be involved would surely be the next step if allowing a doctor to do it became legal.

I would think that having a panel of medical experts involved would be the minimum of checks that needs to be built into the system. You can't have it carried out or sanctioned by just anyone. Let's face it: you need someone who is medically qualified to provide the means.

[KymC]

Originally Posted by Russ

I don't think it is possible to totally safeguard against people with financial gain in mind when it comes to this.

I don't thinks it is possible to 'totally' safeguard against anything...any policy, legislation etc is going to be vulnerable somewhere. The best that can be done is to minimise that vulnerability as best as possible, which is why, with an issue such as this, the procedures would have to be extremely stringent.

[Angua]

Denying a dignified end to people with terminal illness by medical assistance just because it might be abused, assumes there are totally unscrupulous doctors out there who would be complicit in such an act. If there are such doctors like that out there a sensible law with safeguards is hardly going to change this, apart from perhaps make them easier to find.

It just seems too cruel in this day and age to force innocent terminally ill people go through a living hell because they no longer are able to bring about their own death.