IS THE Government considering legalising euthanasia? The answer may be known when Parliament sits on Monday.
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Several Members of Parliament will ask Minister of Health Khaw Boon Wan questions on this subject and the status of the Advanced Medical Directive.
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Dr Lam Pin Min (Ang Mo Kio GRC) will ask how many Singaporeans have signed an AMD — a legal document inked by a patient in advance to indicate that he does not wish to have life-sustaining treatment to prolong his life should he be terminally ill or become unconscious — and how many patients have exercised the AMD.
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His aim, he told Weekend Today, is to raise awareness on the difference between an AMD and euthanasia — both related to end-of-life issues that many Singaporeans are “reluctant” to talk about.
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“If the number of people who signed an AMD is low, what are the reasons behind it?” he asked. “Is it because we are not educating the public enough? If that is the case, we have to raise awareness.”
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Dr Lam added that as a doctor, he does not wish to see euthanasia, or assisted dying, to become legalised.
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Agreeing, Dr Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade GRC), who has also tabled questions on the topic, said: “It’s very timely for us to discuss this issue, especially with the very rapidly ageing population and the trend in diseases we see like cancer and heart disease.”
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Other current issues will also be debated on Monday, such as the progress of the development of the integrated resorts (IR) in the current economic downtown, the financial products’ saga as well as guidelines that town councils use when making investments.
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Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong will ask Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong for an update on the progress of probes into alleged mis-selling by financial institutions and a progress of a review of the marketing and sale of structured products.
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Non-Constituency MP Sylvia Lim will ask Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang if the Government is considering any alternatives should the two IR operators be unable to deliver on their obligations.
