Medical Assistance in Dying committee  I described a little bit before in a French reply. The safeguards that are commonly referred to and that are also described in my report are the way in which we evaluate decisional capacity, mindful of some of the concerns that Dr. Montes has raised, to make sure that those are

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  First of all, the French translation of the term “children's agency” is problematic. Generally, the term used in French is “l'agentivité de l'enfant”. It's a concept that emerged from an area of research known as childhood studies, which raises many concerns about how children ar

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  The pivotal question is this: To what extent should the voice of young people factor into clinical, individual and policy decisions? On a clinical level, that is already happening. As I mentioned, if a child with a neuromuscular disease no longer wishes to have long-term ventila

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  In my experience, disagreements over what the child wants and what is in their best interests are the exception, not the norm.

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  It's really a work in progress. We need a lot more information to gain a solid grasp of what safeguards are needed. We can draw inspiration from what's done in the Netherlands and Belgium, which have safeguards. In certain situations, parental consent is required based on the ch

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Well, these comments are against the backdrop of a very large body of literature and evidence highlighting being excluded from discussions in clinical care as well as in policy-making. In clinical care, it is many times very humiliating and distressing for young people to be excl

Medical Assistance in Dying committee  Good evening. I'm honoured to have this opportunity to appear as a witness for this special joint committee. I'm speaking to you as a clinical ethicist who works with young people, including dying children and youth, and their families. I'm also speaking to you as a childhood e