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Is there enough clarity in the bill on whether assisted dying would be considered a reasonable treatment option?

Is there enough clarity in the bill on whether assisted dying would be considered a reasonable treatment option?

The variability in palliative care provision and high levels of emergency admissions in the last six months of life highlight the fact that there are very significant gaps in end-of-life care. Does the panel believe that addressing those issues should be a prerequisite for, or a parallel commitment to, the advancement of assisted dying legislation?

This time, I will start at the other end of the line of witnesses and come this way.

In some foreign jurisdictions, such as in Victoria in Australia, doctors are restricted from initiating discussions about assisted dying, with patient autonomy often emphasised as being the reason for that. At the opposite end of the spectrum, doctors in Canada are allowed to raise the option proactively. In your opinion, what would be the most appropriate approach to ensure informed decision making in Scotland without undermining patient autonomy? Should the bill explicitly include an obligation to ensure access to assisted dying, if bill were to be passed?

Good morning. What are the practical implications of the devolved competence limits for implementation of the bill, particularly around specifying an approved substance for assisted dying? I ask Lynda Towers to comment first.

You have both mentioned the concerns that you have that people with dementia and Alzheimer’s could come under the bill. What additional safeguards should there be for those people?

I will go back to Lynda Towers for a response to my next question. The member in charge of the bill has identified orders under sections 30, 63 and 104 of the Scotland Act 1998 as options for addressing potential competence issues. Do you have any views on the advantages or risks of that approach?

That is great—thank you.

No. I would like to hear about the key considerations and challenges that Canada faced in adopting its approach and how we might learn from those in Scotland.

Thank you. I ask our witnesses to focus on the content of my second question and to keep their answers as succinct as possible, because I know that other members want to come in. I am interested to hear your perspectives on the key challenges that Canada faced in adopting its approach. How might we in Scotland learn from those experiences as we work to develop our own legislation?