Dr. Louise Campbell:

I believe there should be restrictions on personal autonomy, and there are restrictions on personal autonomy. Other types of laws prevent us from doing whatever we want because we are limited by the autonomy rights of others. There is a case on YouTube that the Deputy could view about an individual who went through the entire process of requesting assisted dying because of a mental illness. She was given leeway to avail of the service but then backed out of it at the end. As she had a significant mental illness, she was allowed to avail of the service. There are diagnostic thresholds. There is certainly a need for greater oversight of the capacity assessment requirement in relation to cases involving psychiatric illness, and the literature points to this. It is not just about a person deciding they want to exercise their autonomy to end their lives. There is a diagnosable, tangible illness at the heart of their request. If we permit people who are suffering anxiety that is based on intolerable pain to avail of this service, why should we discriminate against persons who are suffering intolerable psychological pain based on a mental illness?