The Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) passed a law on November 28, 2023, allowing “voluntary assisted dying” (VAD) — the same law that was introduced in May of 2022. This makes NSW the last state in Australia to legalize the practice, though the practice is still illegal in the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory at this time.
According to reports, anyone 18 years or older may opt for VAD, but must also qualify based on the following guidelines: be an Australian or NSW citizen or have lived in Australia or NSW for at least 3 years; have a terminal illness with a less than six-month life expectancy, or 12 months in cases of neurodegenerative illness; be in serious pain relating to the terminal illness that is causing physical, psychological, social, and emotional pain; have the ability to “make and communicate your own decisions throughout the whole process;” and must sincerely want to proceed with VAD.
To apply for this, a patient can talk with their doctor and will then be assessed. A few days later, the patient will have another consultation with a different doctor and must then submit a written, formal request “which must be made at least six days after the first request and at least one day after the consulting assessment.”
READ: American Medical Association maintains opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia
The NSW health service stresses that this must be a “voluntary” decision made by only the patient involved, and not their family members. No other persons can initiate the VAD process for a patient. However, the health service encourages patients to talk things over with their loved ones and warn that though the family may not agree with the patient’s decision, they cannot halt the process against the patient’s wishes.
NSW has attempted to put these “safeguards” in place surrounding “voluntary assisted dying,” yet there are many loopholes for coercion of patients by their loved ones. No mention is made of support services offered to potentially make life more comfortable for these “terminal” patients, and no mention of the inaccuracies within terminal prognoses can be found within the NSW health service. A lack of proper resources and support for patients with disabilities or illnesses has reportedly led many to seek out assisted suicide.
Studies have shown that assisted suicide may not be the “peaceful” death that is promised to patients. As previously reported by Live Action News, “Researchers analyzing data from assisted suicide and euthanasia protocols in the Netherlands found that for a third of patients, death took up to 30 hours, and for four percent of patients, it took up to seven days to die after drugs were administered.”
According to the Weekend Australian, “Practitioners [of VAD] will also need to undergo specialist training in order to administer the life-ending drugs and be allowed to conduct the eligibility assessments. Healthcare workers with a conscientious objection to VAD will be able to refuse from prescribing or administering the medication and can opt out from engaging in the assessment process.”
