Terminally ill patients who seek an assisted death have no desire to end their life. Calling their decision ‘assisted suicide’ can have harmful consequences.
New Zealand MPs will cast a conscience vote on a euthanasia bill. But with 49 out of 120 seats held by ‘list’ MPs, this raises issues about the democratic process under the country’s electoral system.
The Victorian assisted dying laws are based on those in Oregon, which are quite conservative. Laws in the Netherlands, Belgium and Canada are more relaxed.
Doctors often overestimate the time a patient has left to live. In the case of Victoria’s assisted dying bill, an optimistic prediction could deny the patient the peaceful death they deserve.
Ben White, Queensland University of Technology; Andrew McGee, Queensland University of Technology, and Lindy Willmott, Queensland University of Technology
There is now a reputable body of research evidence from places that have introduced assisted dying, and MPs must examine that evidence before deciding how they will vote.
Ben White, Queensland University of Technology and Lindy Willmott, Queensland University of Technology
Public opinion, shifting views in the health profession and international trends allowing assisted dying mean it will be lawful in Australia at some point. But will it be lawful in Victoria soon?
Ben White, Queensland University of Technology; Andrew McGee, Queensland University of Technology, and Lindy Willmott, Queensland University of Technology
Victoria stands a chance of becoming the first Australian jurisdiction in 20 years, and the first ever Australian state, to have an assisted dying law.
The debate on the role of law and ethics at the end of life is an enduring one. In 1971, such debate was focused almost solely upon the Netherlands when a rural physician called Truus Postma facilitated…
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University