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Eric Mathison is professor of philosophy at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
Website: https://www.ericmathison.ca/
Summary:
In this interview, Mathison proposes a non-medical model of assisted dying. The current, dominant model requires patients to get approval from healthcare providers before getting access to assisted suicide and euthanasia. This is problematic for a couple of reasons. First, there's a theoretical problem - namely, it's paternalistic because it requires a healthcare professional to be convinced that the patient is suffering intolerably. And second, there's a practical problem because there aren't enough healthcare professionals who provide the service. In response to these problems, Mathison believes that (1) the only requirement that a patient needs to meet is that they are making an autonomous choice, and (2) that non-medical personnel should be able to assist in their deaths.
