Watch: How and when would you be able to terminate your life?
Reforms junior minister sits down with Times Talk to field questions on what could go wrong if the country were to introduce euthanasia
One of Malta's youngest cabinet members is taking on one of the nation's hottest issues, and this week she sat down with Times Talk to explain why she believes it is necessary.
On Wednesday Reforms Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg unveiled government proposals for 'Assisted Voluntary Euthanasia'.
These proposals, currently open for a two-month public consultation, outline conditions under which terminally ill patients with less than six months to live could voluntarily end their lives.
Although the proposals are not a draft bill yet, they could lead to one, and on Times Talk, Buttigieg fields questions on what could go wrong if the country were to introduce some form of euthanasia.
What if people start opting for it, not because they truly want to die, but because they feel they are a burden on their family?
What if the patient could have survived beyond those six months?
Is it necessary to allow people to terminate their life if they are not in unbearable, physical pain?
If your life is your own, why do you have to wait until you're in such a dire state before being able to terminate your life?
What if you are in unbearable pain but are not in a good mental state to take the decision?
And can she guarantee this is not just the first step on a slippery slope that will eventually lead to much more permissive forms of euthanasia?
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