1. Make your first request

If you decide to use voluntary assisted dying, you need to ask a doctor to help you.

We call this your first request.

No one else can make the first request for you.

But you can use an interpreter if you need support to communicate with your doctor.

An interpreter is someone who:

• uses your language
• helps you understand what someone is saying.

You don’t need to find an interpreter.

Your doctor will do this for you.

Only people with the right training can be your interpreter.

Your interpreter cannot be a person from your family.

You must be clear when you ask the doctor for voluntary assisted dying.

The doctor will let you know if they accept your first request.

Sometimes a doctor might say no to your first request.

This could be because they:

• have not been a doctor for long enough

• have not done the training for voluntary assisted dying.

A doctor might also say no to your first request because they don’t support voluntary assisted dying.

If a doctor tells you no, you can make a first request with a different doctor.