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6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 DECEMBER 2024 It's time for a mature debate on euthanasia Editorial THE British parliament has approved a Bill that makes it possible for someone who is terminally ill to choose to die. The assisted dying Bill is still two to three years away from becoming law but it has cleared a significant parliamentary hurdle. Before delving into the ethical controversies that accompanied the Bill, this leader cannot but comment positively on the manner by which Brit- ish members of parliament conducted the debate. It was an admirable exercise that saw MPs engage in a respectful debate that cut across party lines. Views in favour and against were expressed with utmost sobriety that recognised the sensitive and deeply personal nature of the subject. With the Maltese government having an elec- toral mandate to kick off a meaningful discussion on the introduction of euthanasia, this leader au- gurs that Maltese MPs can engage in a mature de- bate like that seen in the British parliament. Death is never an easy subject to deal with be- cause it evokes strong human emotions. Every person has a story to tell, involving someone they loved or knew, who may have died follow- ing a long illness. And the situation only gets more complicated when it deals with persons who know their end is near or fast approaching and are going through a great deal of suffering. The emotions involved do not only pertain to the patient but also those close to them. Plentiful considerations are at stake and they do not only involve the individual passing through the ordeal but also family members and society. This is why any debate on euthanasia and assist- ed dying cannot be reduced to a mere good-bad, yes-no argument. The Bill approved by the British parliament is very limited in scope. People who are suffering from a degenerative illness will be ineligible for assisted dying because they are not considered terminally ill patients. In this sense the UK pro- posal is different from other laws on euthanasia that are in force in a few other countries like the Netherlands and Belgium, which have a wider scope. The UK Bill is premised on the consideration that a person should be able to choose to end their suffering rather than wait for the terminal illness to consume them slowly and painfully. This is a strong compassionate argument in favour of indi- vidual choice when physical and mental suffering start chipping away at human dignity. This leader believes people should have a right to choose how they go if they are diagnosed with a terminal illness or are suffering from a degener- ative disease that gradually erodes their physical and mental capabilities. This does not mean that good palliative care should be neglected. Indeed, it is the State's obli- gation to ensure that palliative care is available on the national health service to ensure a dignified ending to patients whose days are counted. But just as the right to dignified care for those who want to live until their natural end should be safeguarded and strengthened, so should the right of those who wish to end their pain by choosing when to depart be respected. Nonetheless, this leader is conscious of the chal- lenges and ethical dilemmas associated with eu- thanasia and assisted dying. The law must contain safeguards to prevent abuse, especially by next of kin, who may have a selfish interest to see their parent or relative die. The law must also include safeguards against decisions made by the patient on the spur of the moment when great physical or mental pain can cloud judgement. There are oth- er considerations to be made, which is why the law must ensure that an individual's choice is in- formed, made freely and without undue pressure. This leader believes that a parliamentary select committee should be created, chaired by a gov- ernment backbencher and with members from both sides of the House. The government MPs should not be ministers. The committee should have a brief to hear Maltese and foreign experts, and interested parties, with a view to draw up a report outlining the different views in favour or against euthanasia, charting where political con- sensus is possible, the ethical considerations in- volved and making recommendations to govern- ment on how best to proceed. The report should be finalised within nine months and serve as a tool for government to draw up a draft Bill that will then be tabled in parliament. A similar exercise was carried out in 2011 when a select committee was created to draw up a re- port on in-vitro fertilisation and the ethical con- siderations surrounding several contentious is- sues. Unfortunately, the government at the time failed to act in a meaningful way on the report's recommendations and conclusions but the cur- rent Labour government should have no qualms moving forward with a draft Bill on euthanasia after it receives the report, given it already has an electoral mandate. Quote of the Week "We can write history together. What we can no longer do, colleagues, is kick the can down the road - because we have run out of road." Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg emphasising the need for the OSCE to facilitate and accompany a meaningful, result-oriented dialogue to build peace in and for Ukraine as he condemned what he described as Russia's "systemic threat to European security". He was delivering the opening speech at the 31st OSCE Ministerial Council held in Malta. Malta holds the chair of the OSCE. MaltaToday 10 years ago 7 December 2014 Scotsman's arrest report is deleted AN internal police investigation has been launched into the deletion from a police re- port of details of the arrest of Scotsman Ste- phen Smith and the result of a breathalyser test he took. The deletions were made from the original computer record. The serious shortcoming introduces a new twist into the saga which has enveloped the serious incident in which the Scotsman was involved when his vehicle was shot at and hit twice by home affairs minister Manuel Mallia's security driver on the evening of Wednesday, 19 November. For one, it is expected to put more pres- sure on the police force. The Opposition has repeatedly claimed that a cover-up was underway on the night that the government claimed that securi- ty driver Paul Sheehan fired two "warning shots" in the air, and has put pressure on Jo- seph Muscat to sack his minister. How the new twist will affect the minister's fortunes is yet to be seen. MaltaToday is reliably informed that an internal investigation is underway into the deletion of the data. ...