Thank you very much. I'm grateful for that. This will allow me to explain my final point and round out my remarks.
If we, as a society, choose to expand access to medical assistance in dying, we must not downplay the impact that could have on the more social aspect of the autonomy that's exercised.
We must consider the effect that an expansion of access to medical assistance in dying would have on social perceptions of illness. No one who receives a diagnosis of neurocognitive degenerative disease should feel that he or she is expected to request medical assistance in dying now that it's being offered. We must also continue to invest in providing parallel care, as Mr. Lemmens said, to ensure that those who make a different choice continue to receive care, that there is no interruption of care and that there is no therapeutic abandonment.
That's the point I wanted to make. I'm very pleased to have had the opportunity to do so because it was really important for me to discuss the societal aspect of this issue. It should not become the ideal option, and we must not abandon people who don't make that choice.