Dr Alex Allinson will move an amendment to the Assisted Dying Bill today as he looks to tighten up changes made by LegCo.
He will ask MHKs to accept most amendments made by LegCo, but will seek to make changes to clause 10.
Clause 10 obliges the Department of Health and Social Care to provide guidance and training to health care professionals about the range of care options available to terminally ill persons so as to assist such professionals in preparing for discussions with such persons.
Dr Allinson’s change is to add “undue influence” to the section which ensures that guidance and training provided also assist health care professionals to behaviours which might amount to “coercion or duress”.
Residency
One of the most intriguing issues coming from the LegCo changes to the Assisted Dying Bill is whether MHKs will accept the drop to one-year’s residency.
When the Bill went to LegCo it stipulated that residents seeking to use a future service would require to have lived on the island for five years.
However, several MHKs had insisted on the five year limit to prevent “death tourism”, so it will be interesting to see how they vote and whether the proposed Bill in the UK may temper those fears.
3 Comments