Dear Austin,
Picked up your blog comments on Margo's End Of Life (Assistance) Scotland Bill and was pleased to see that you generally support the Bill.
I have included a link to the Bill and its accompanying documents which I think may answer some of the points that you raise concern about. For example the referral process. You suggest 3 independent doctors should be involved…our suggestion is that there should be the attending physician (doctor) a psychiatrist to assess the mental condition and competence of the patient and two further witnesses who have and will have nothing to gain from the death of the person ( thus excluding any family member or friend who may be named in a will for example) and this process will have to be done twice… we think that this is a very robust system.
In terms of insurance, this is a reserved matter and we are unable to make any comment on the face of the Bill about this.
Finally I am really not sure about your other point about half the estate of the deceased going to the Government…many people who die do so in circumstances that may indeed be termed 'costly', but this should in no way be factored into their care, or their decision to withhold from treatment (advance directives for example) or decision to end their life if this Bill became law.
But thank you again for picking up this issue…
Yours aye
Peter Warren
Office Manager - Margo MacDonald MSP
I do welcome this response and can confirm full support behind the bill as stated in my previous blog.
At least someone is reading my blog.
Thanks
Posted by Austin Sheridan MSYP
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This article can be found at: www.AustinMSYP.co.nr (Blog Section)
