New voluntary assisted dying law in Western Australia requires no supervision

A bill legalising ‘voluntary assisted dying’ was passed in Western Australia earlier this week. Right to Life Australia described the legislation’s passage as "a great tragedy for Australia", and that it was "a bill of despair and lack of hope. It sends a message that some lives are not worthy to be lived."

SPUC Director of Campaigns, Antonia Tully said: "As the pro-life community in the UK goes to the polls hoping to elect MPs who will take a stand against legalisation assisted suicide in this country, the new law in Australia is a sharp reminder of what could so easily happen over here."

"Unsafe and dangerous"

The new law on voluntary assisted dying (VAD) has been dubbed "the most unsafe and dangerous in the world", by the Australia Christian Lobby (ACL).

Deeply worrying aspects about the new VAD law in Western Australia, highlighted by ACL, are:

• People can self-administer the lethal medication.
• No supervision is required when the fatal dose is taken.
• Doctors may refuse to offer VAD, but are required to provide information to a patient about how to end their life.
• No provision in the new law requiring family members to be informed if someone decides to end their life by VAD.

"Absolutely appalling"

ACL also draw attention to one further disturbing aspect of the Western Australia law: There is no requirement for a doctor specialising in the patient’s condition to be involved, even though two doctors are required to diagnose that a patient is likely to die within six months in order to qualify for voluntary assisted dying.

Peter Abetz of the ACL said: "So if you’re dying of cancer, you can get two orthopaedic surgeons to decide that you are going to die within six months - and yet they’ve got no expertise whatsoever in that field. We think that’s absolutely appalling."

"No such thing as a ‘safe’ law on assisted suicide"

Antonia Tully said: "There is no such thing as a ‘safe’ law on assisted suicide. And we cannot hide behind the idea that it is always a ‘voluntary’ act. Once assisted suicide is legal, disabled, sick and elderly people can easily be made to feel that they ought to choose death.

"SPUC’s commitment to opposing assisted suicide is absolute and total.  Write to your newly elected MP at the earliest opportunity asking for an assurance that he or she will reject outright any moves in the next Parliament to legalise assisted suicide.  The tragedy of Western Australia must not be repeated here."