May 19, 2022

Voluntary assisted dying is now legal in NSW

Voluntary Assisted Dying is now legal in NSW

NSW has become the last Australian state to legalise voluntary assisted dying after a marathon debate in the upper house overnight.

The push to pass voluntary assisted dying legislation in NSW was spearheaded by independent MP Alex Greenwich who told The Guardian that this landmark moment “finally passed a threshold of honesty and compassion,” for people of the state.

“Honesty that not all people die well, and compassion that people with advanced and cruel terminal illnesses will have the same end of care options as those in every other state,” he said.

Voluntary assisted dying will now be an available option for NSW residents who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and have a life expectancy of less than six months, and those that have a life expectancy of less than 12 months who are living with a neurodegenerative condition and experiencing unbearable suffering.

The bill first passed the NSW lower house more than six months ago, despite public opposition from NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet.

However, the bill passed through the state’s upper house today at 12.30pm after a long night of deliberation that yielded over 90 amendments.

Although voluntary assisted dying is now legal in all Australian states, both the Northern Territory and the ACT currently have laws in place that prevent them from making voluntary assisted dying legal in their region.

It’s now for the federal parliament to give the territories the same ability to pass the same laws,” said Mr Greenwich.

NSW Employee Relations Minister, Damien Tudehope, opposed the passing of the bill and stated that the bill “betrayed” people suffering from terminal illness.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Should family be present when a palliative care plan is written?

  A palliative care plan can help people to live as fully and comfortably as possible as they approach the end of their life, and are a way to keep family and health professionals informed about the care the person expects to receive. Ideally, the plans are written when the person is well, where decisions... Read More

Only 30 ADF personnel a week were sent to help aged care staff shortages

Recent Government data has shown an average of just 30 Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel were deployed to aged care facilities across Australia each week, despite ongoing staff shortages in the sector due to COVID-19. Read More

One third of aged care residents aren’t given a choice of meals 

  One third of aged care residents don’t always have a choice of food and only a quarter thought their meals were always tasty, a recent survey conducted by Flinders University has found. The introduction of new consumer-driven Aged Care Quality and Safety standards in July 2019 should have driven “culture change” within aged care,... Read More
Advertisement