This recommendation comes out of testimony that we received at committee. At the end of paragraph (d), where it reads “and”, I would like to add “a result of external pressure or lack of access to services required to address the underlying cause of the request, such as palliative care, chronic pain care, and geriatric care; and”.
I think this is a very important amendment because it looks deeper into the situation, rather than just looking at the request. It asks whether, for example, there's an absence of proper palliative care. It asks about the reason for the decision.
I had the good fortune, on Friday night, of attending an event in my riding, where there were three other doctors sitting at the table. One of them and his wife were palliative care experts. We talked a bit about this bill. They said that people in end-of-life situations, even in acute situations of suffering and pain, have two concerns. Their number one concern is their pain. They're scared of the pain in the process of dying, and they want help with it. The other one is that they want help with fear and anxiety in that end-of-life stage. People are quite fearful because they get that drowning sensation towards the end.
They were quick to assure me that both of those issues could be dealt with effectively through physician assistance. They told me they could mitigate the pain and discomfort. They said they could also deal with the fear and anxiety.
I think this amendment is important because it addresses the palliative care aspect. It ensures that people have the opportunity to explore whether there are options for making a different decision, and it asks how their situation relates to palliative care. That's what this is doing. It asks whether it's an absence of palliative care that's causing someone to make this decision.