Dr. Simon Mills:

I think I covered this in my opening statement, which I do not wish to revisit as it was cut off the first time round. There are obvious challenges. Members of the public who may be listening should think about how would they want themselves or their loved ones to be protected if this legislation was available. How would members of the medical profession or one of the other professions want this service to be delivered and resourced with all the emotional supports that are necessary for everybody involved? Those who are against it and believe there are better alternatives would want to know that such alternatives would be properly resourced in order that they are available to those considering assisted dying. The reality is that one needs to treat every opinion poll with a degree of caution. I do not know what questions were asked or the context for the questions. It seems that people consistently want these things but I am reminded of an observation by the humorist H.L. Mencken, who said many years ago that for every complex problem there is an answer that is simple, direct and wrong. This is a complex issue and it requires complex handling. The public may be correct in their view that this should be introduced but it will require careful handling by legislators to deal with things that make people satisfied they are adequately protected if it comes to their time to think about it.