Thanks, Madam Joint Chair.
Good afternoon, Professor, and thank you very much for joining us.
We have limited time and I'd like to get through a couple questions with you, if I could. I'm going to read them to be succinct as well.
First, in my reading of the expert panel report, it appears that there's a contradiction I would like you to help me resolve. I'll paraphrase, but it says that the current legal framework can apply to MAID where mental disorder is the sole underlying medical condition, with no new legislation or additional safeguards, but it also says that irremediability in the case of MD-SUMC is difficult, if not impossible, to predict. The report fails to offer evidence that it is possible, or provide specific guidelines on how to determine it.
In order for a person to be eligible for MAID, irremediability must be determined. How do we reconcile this challenge? Without a clearly defined road map in determining that a person's mental disorder is irremediable, it would seem that MAID with mental disorder as the sole underlying medical condition is not compatible with the existing law.