Sensible changes proposed to End of Life law

The Herald reports:

Among the areas it identified for improvement was a rule that said any discussion of assisted dying had to be initiated by the patient.

The rule was made out of concern a patient might feel pressured to consider assisted dying if it was suggested by a doctor. The ministry, however, said it was contrary to health consumer rights and was creating a significant barrier to access for some people.

“I cannot get my head around why your GP who’s in charge of palliative care, or oncologist — why no one is able to bring up or give information about this,” a family member of a patient who had an assisted death told the ministry during the review.

“Giving information is very different to recommending it. It seems so strange and weird it’s not allowed.”

Seems a sensible change.

The ministry also recommended more powers for the End of Life Review Committee, which is tasked with ensuring each assisted death complied with the law.

It said the committee should be able to access a broader range of information and be able to raise any concerning cases with relevant authorities.

The Herald reported last month that two former members of the committee felt the oversight process was so inadequate they would not have known if someone had died wrongly.

One of those members, palliative care specialist Dr Jane Greville, said she was “very pleased” with the ministry’s proposals, which if adopted would ensure the committee could appropriately review assisted deaths and make the law safer for doctors and patients.

I think this is critically important. I support the law, but it is a law that needs extensive safeguards, and it was concerning that the existing review committee felt constrained.