If an assisted dying bill becomes law, medical and psychiatric safeguards must be extremely strict

Abstract

During recent years, arguments supporting and opposing the legalisation of assisted dying have greatly intensified. The issue is a matter for society to decide, but physicians and psychiatrists have an essential role in informing public and parliamentary opinion on the contributions and limitations of medical knowledge related to the assessment of patients who request assisted dying and the necessity for strict safeguards should it be legalised. Some of the more important aspects of assessment and safeguards are discussed in this paper.