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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 • 11 MAY 2025 Compassion, respect to life and individual choice, should guide assisted dying debate Editorial DEATH is never an easy subject to deal with be- cause it evokes strong human emotions, often rooted in deeply personal experiences. Every person has a story to tell, involving some- one they loved or knew, who may have died fol- lowing a long illness. It may also involve someone who has been given a short lifespan of a few weeks or months following the diagnosis of a terminal 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. In circumstances like these there are plentiful considerations at stake for the individual passing through the ordeal, their family members and society. This is why the debate on assisted dying, which is about to take off as a result of a government pro- posal put forward for public consultation, cannot be reduced to a mere good-bad, yes-no argument. The proposal unveiled last week by Reforms Par- liamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg is a good first step because it shows government's intention to have a proper regulatory framework to prevent abuse, while respecting individual choice. Howev- er, this leader believes the proposal as it stands is very limited in scope and reach. Only mentally competent adults aged 18 and over, who are suffering from a terminal illness and with a life expectancy of six months will be able to request assisted dying, under the proposed framework. The choice will be offered on the na- tional health service thus preventing its commer- cialisation. The proposal is pretty much modelled on the UK bill that cleared its first parliamentary hurdle last year. But the six-month prognosis means that people suffering from a degenerative illness will be ineli- gible for assisted dying because they are not con- sidered terminally ill patients. By the time such patients are given a six-month life expectancy they will most likely be unable to make a request. It also excludes patients who may be suffering but whose life expectancy could be longer than six months. We believe that the right to die should be avail- able to anyone aged 16 and over who has been given a medical diagnosis that can have serious debilitating or terminal consequences. The person should be able to choose to end their suffering. This is a compassionate argument in favour of individual choice when physical and mental suffering are inevitable and start chipping away at human dignity. The government proposal also suggests the in- troduction of the living will concept by which a person can draw up a will that gives medical di- rectives and proposes care plans for future medi- cal circumstances that may arise. We believe that a person should also be able to demand assisted dying in their living will. While we encourage a mature debate on assisted dying, shaped around the belief that an individu- al has a right to end their pain and choose when to depart, we equally argue that the state should continue investing in good palliative care. It is the state's obligation to ensure that pallia- tive care is available on the national health service to ensure a dignified ending to patients whose days are counted and who choose to live until their natural end. Their choice should also be re- spected. The government proposal on assisted dying con- tains several safeguards to prevent abuse, which can come from next of kin, who may have a self- ish interest to see their parent or relative die. It is also positive that the proposal includes safe- guards against decisions made by the patient on the spur of the moment when great physical or mental pain can cloud judgement. The fact that a request for assisted dying has to be evaluated by a specific board, which in turn has two weeks to give its verdict after hearing the patient, the pa- tient's medical specialist, and following a period of reflection for the patient to reconsider their position, helps create a filtering mechanism to ensure the patient's decision is informed, free and without pressure. The debate on assisted suicide should be con- ducted with utmost sobriety, especially at a po- litical level. Compassion, the respect to life and individual choice, should guide the discussion. Quote of the Week "We believe in the unifying power of music, which is why we refuse to allow music to be used as a tool to whitewash crimes against humanity." A sentence from a letter signed by more than 70 previous participants in the Eurovision Song Contest urging the European Broadcasting Union to exclude the Israeli public broadcaster from the contest. Three Maltese Eurovision participants—Thea Garrett, Glen Vella and Amber— signed the open letter. MaltaToday 10 years ago Police seek proof Debono was aware of works- for-votes 10 May 2015 POLICE investigators are sifting through evi- dence that can prove that former Nationalist min- ister for Gozo Giovanna Debono was aware that her husband Anthony, a civil servant inside the Gozo ministry, was carrying out private works on the ministerial budget, for constituents. Key to the investigation will be a decision by the Gozitan courts on whether or not to freeze Antho- ny Debono's assets, under money laundering pro- cedures in the law. The request to freeze his assets was objected to by defence counsel Joe Giglio, during Debono's ar- raignment in the court of Magistrate Joanne Vella Cuschieri. Debono, 59, was charged with the misappropri- ation of public funds and the abuse of his office, fraud, falsification of documents, committing crimes he was duty bound to prevent, and trying to prevent others from giving information or evi- dence to authorities. The police are interested in whether any suspi- cious transactions were made by Anthony Debono, and have not ruled out the possibility of alleged kickbacks from the works-for-votes ruse. The story was broken by MaltaToday after a con- tractor who had carried out private works on behalf of Debono, was left out of pocket on pending mon- ies when the Nationalists were voted out of power and Giovanna Debono was no longer minister. Debono, who was the head of the works division in the Gozo ministry, is suspected of having provid- ed the raw material for private construction works and then paying out contractors through the min- istry budget, on falsified invoices for other public works. Debono remained silent during interroga- tion, while a whistleblower claimed he delivered mouldy-smelling cash after a €50,000 payment re- quest; police have not searched his home. ...