Defining mental ''competency'' will be one of the hurdles to overcome if New Zealand is to pass a Bill on euthanasia.
At the Human Genetics Society of Australasia conference in Queenstown yesterday, Prof Aad Tibben, of Leiden, South Holland, spoke to about 300 delegates about ''end-of-life choices for those with a Huntington's disease mutation''.
The psychologist with a career-long interest in Huntington's disease said the Netherlands passed legislation to allow for physician-assisted suicide about 10 years ago.
Plenary session chairwoman Kate Neas, clinical director of the Genetic Health Service New Zealand, told the Otago Daily Times the session was largely focused on how the legislation applied to individuals with Huntington's disease, but also applied to those with other forms of neuro-degenerative disorders, including motor neuron disease, Alzheimer's disease and those suffering from Cadasil syndrome, a hereditary stroke disorder which progresses to dementia.
''[In the Netherlands] individuals ... in good health and of sound mind can make a decision for their future, if they know they have a degenerative condition, about when they would consider it appropriate ... to have their life ended,'' Dr Neas said.
''His [Prof Tibben's] perspective is in some ways for Huntington's disease and other familial type neuro-degenerative [diseases] it's quite appropriate.''
Dr Neas said because the diseases were hereditary, individuals had often witnessed the deterioration of family members and were ''aware of the disorder and how things go with time''.
''They are au fait with the likely course.''
Also included in the panel yesterday was Associate Prof Sandy Macleod, a Christchurch-based psychologist who works with patients suffering from Huntington's disease, Associate Prof Colin Gavaghan, of the New Zealand Law Foundation and Labour MP Maryan Street.
Last year Ms Street submitted her ''End of Life Choice Bill'' to the private members' ballot, but it has yet to be drawn.
Key features of the Bill are that the person making the request must be ''mentally competent'' and the end-of-life directive must be renewed every five years while the person is still mentally competent.
Dr Neas said defining mental competency would be one of the hurdles to overcome before the Bill could be passed.
''To be competent to make those requests ... how do we define competent?''
There have been a lot of mixed views, certainly in terms of the speakers [but] Professor Tibben works in a system where it's part of their medical system and he's comfortable with it.
''Maryan Street has her colours nailed to the mast and [Prof Macleod and Prof Gavaghan] were giving their own opinion and perspective on how these things might be enacted.''
The conference, themed ''Up-regulate Your Senses'', with a major theme of genetics and sensory disorders, concludes tomorrow afternoon
