Professor Nancy Preston:

My question is on whether the current system is safe and I am not arguing either way. I am just saying that we know assisted deaths are occurring at present and doctors are doing them. Surveys in New Zealand have shown they were happening before the legislation. One of the big drives in the Netherlands was that they were already happening. Legislation has not made it completely safe but it should be made as safe as possible. What is the best possible system? There could be an upfront system with more of a panel and bigger judgment from palliative care and other competencies. Bring all of them together into a panel. Surely an upfront system rather than a system that checks afterwards whether processes were followed is the safest possible system.