SAFEGUARD
FOR LIFE-ENDING DECISIONS
MONITORING
COMMITTEE OF DIVERSE CITIZENS
The proposed
legislation for South Australia
includes a provision for a Voluntary Euthanasia Monitoring Committee.
(See section 19 of
the bill linked above.)
This government-appointed committee
would include a doctor, a lawyer, an advocate for disabled people,
an advocate of voluntary euthanasia, etc.
It purpose is to review and evaluate how the law is working in practice
and to recommend any needed changes.
Other government systems that approve laws
concerning the right-to-die
could also appoint committees to review their laws in practice.
Or they could require that existing committees
do such a review and issue a report.
Most right-to-die laws require at least some kind of
reporting.
Often the state or country is required to issue an annual summary
of how the law was applied, how many dying persons used it, etc.
HOW A MONITORING COMMITTEE MIGHT DISCOURAGE PREMATURE DEATH
Because such a government committee does its work
after the fact,
no specific deaths of the past could be undone.
But if they uncover some common abuses
of the right-to-die system,
they could recommend more and better safeguards
to prevent premature deaths in the future.
created April 12, 2007; revised
8-27-2008; 9-11-2008; 11-5-2008