Dr. Feargal Twomey:

I thank Deputy Kenny. I will echo Dr. Lyne's comment earlier on patient choice - where it is reasonable. Part of the reasonable, as I see it, is that a choice that is available to one person does not put another at risk. It is very important. Many of the contributors to this meeting are referring to patients they have met. They are reflecting what I am sure are true stories. Clearly, there are some notable and prominent cases and people who are thrust into the public eye, who never wanted to be and who have strong views on this. However, the voices of the patients who all of us see regularly and who I see in my work and my colleagues' work also have validity. In essence, if I meet somebody who has that level of distress, I need to ascertain what is causing that distress for them. However, it is the opportunity. I will give an example. If you go into an overfilled emergency department in Canada now and you cannot get a psychiatric assessment because it is too busy, you will be offered medical assistance in dying-----