End of life choice unworkable
A reading of the EOLC Act quickly disabuses the notion that this legislation lives up to its name. Section 5 (2) a, b, and c, states that those who are only of an "advanced age", or have "a disability of any kind" or suffer from "any form of mental disorder or mental illness", are specifically excluded from access to euthanasia unless there is evidence of a terminal illness. Persons requesting euthanasia must also be mentally competent at the time of the request - but tellingly, not at the time of their death.
Since severe depression is a leading cause of self-death ideation throughout the world, this legislation will be unworkable for what its proponents intended - EOLC. The mental competency "safeguard" would need to be totally ignored.
Other omissions in the legislation include a lack of independent witnesses at any stage of the process for assisted dying and no statutory "cooling off" period following the application. There is no need for the medical practitioner to have any specialist knowledge of the terminal medical condition or be trained in assessing "mental competency".
Further, it is only the doctor's opinion that there has been no coercion or external pressure on the patient to seek assisted suicide. The attending doctor might only see the person once and the person's decision to die can totally exclude partners, family and friends from even seeing the person alive again. Legislation allows the lethal dose to be administered by a nurse practitioner, again, without any witnesses should the person change their mind.