Health Care Decisions (Amendment) Bill, 2020

HEALTH CARE DECISIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2020 A BILL FOR A LAW TO AMEND THE HEALTH CARE DECISIONS LAW, 2019 TO DEFINE “ASSISTED SUICIDE” AND “EUTHANASIA” IN LIGHT OF AMENDMENTS MADE TO THE PENAL CODE (2019 REVISION) TO DECRIMINALISE SUICIDE; AND FOR INCIDENTAL AND CONNECTED PURPOSES

PUBLISHING DETAILS Sponsoring Ministry/Portfolio: Portfolio of Legal Affairs (PLA)

Objects and Reasons

Memorandum of OBJECTS AND REASONS This Bill seeks to amend the Health Care Decisions Law, 2019 to define the terms “assisted suicide” and “euthanasia” in light of amendments made to the Penal Code (2019 Revision) to decriminalise suicide and to make it an offence for a person to be complicit in another person’s suicide. Clause 1 provides the short title and the commencement of the legislation. Clause 2 amends section 2 of the Health Care Decisions Law, 2019 to insert definitions for the terms “assisted suicide” and “euthanasia”. The term “assisted suicide” is defined to mean suicide undertaken by a person with the encouragement or assistance of another person and the term “euthanasia” is defined to mean the painless killing by a registered practitioner of a person suffering from an incurable and painful disease or a person in a coma.

Clause 1

HEALTH CARE DECISIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2020

A BILL FOR A LAW TO AMEND THE HEALTH CARE DECISIONS LAW, 2019 TO DEFINE “ASSISTED SUICIDE” AND “EUTHANASIA” IN LIGHT OF AMENDMENTS MADE TO THE PENAL CODE (2019 REVISION) TO DECRIMINALISE SUICIDE; AND FOR INCIDENTAL AND CONNECTED PURPOSES ENACTED by the Legislature of the Cayman Islands. Citation and commencement (1) This Law may be cited as the Health Care Decisions (Amendment) Law, 2020. (2) This Law shall come into force immediately after the coming into force of the Penal Code (Amendment) (No. 2) Law, 2020. Amendment of section 2 of the Health Care Decisions Law, 2019 - interpretation The Health Care Decisions Law, 2019 is amended in section 2 by inserting, in the appropriate alphabetical sequence, the following definitions — “ “assisted suicide” means suicide undertaken by a person with the encouragement or assistance of another person; and

Clause 2

“euthanasia” means the painless killing by a registered practitioner of a person suffering from an incurable and painful disease or a person in a coma;”.

Passed by the Legislative Assembly the day of

Speaker

Clerk of the Legislative Assembly