Victorians with a terminal illness will be able to request an assisted death from the middle of 2019, after the state’s parliament became the first in Australia to legalise voluntary assisted dying.
Victorian residents over the age of 18, of decision making capacity, who have six months to live and are in intolerable suffering can be granted access to lethal medication to end their life.
Eligibility is extended to 12 months for those with neurodegenerative conditions, such as motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease.
Here are five articles in The Conversation’s coverage leading up to the passing of the bill, that will give you a better understanding of what’s in it, the issues in the debate and what drugs might be offered for those who request access to assisted dying.
1. What’s in the bill?
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has said the safeguards in this legislation make it the safest and most conservative model in the world.
The Voluntary Assisted Dying bill was drafted after several reports based on extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders.
After a parliamentary inquiry into end-of-life choices delivered recommendations in December 2016, the Victorian government responded by setting up an independent panel of experts to propose what would be in the bill. Chaired by former president of the Australian Medical Association, Professor Brian Owler, the panel’s report was delivered in July 2017.
Ben White, Lindy Willmott and Andrew McGee, from Queensland University of Technology, wrote at the time:
The panel has proposed a very rigorous process – comprised of 68 safeguards – that involves three separate requests for voluntary assisted dying (one which is witnessed by two independent witnesses) and two independent medical assessments.
Read more about the panel’s recommendations that informed the final bill here:
Victoria may soon have assisted dying laws for terminally ill patients
2. Why did some oppose the bill?
After a 47-37 conscience vote in favour of the bill in the lower house on October 20, 2017, the legislation went to the upper house, where it faced some heavy opposition.
The team from Australia’s Centre for Health Law Research at QUT categorised the reasons MPs voted “no” into four themes:
[…] the bill doesn’t have adequate safeguards to protect the vulnerable; legalising assisted dying presents a slippery slope; palliative care services must be improved first; and a doctor’s duty is to treat, not to kill.
Four reasons Victorian MPs say ‘no’ to assisted dying, and why they’re misleading
3. What were the amendments?
The upper house passed the legislation only after taking in some amendments. The main of these is a change to the time an eligible patient has to live, from 12 to six months.