A new report on Australia’s voluntary assisted dying (VAD) laws was presented in federal parliament on Monday, revealing that euthanasia is more accepted than ever before.
Since the practice was first legalised in 2019, almost 2,500 terminally ill patients have chosen to use VAD.
Euthansia is being more widely accepted: What took so long?
On today’s episode of The Briefing, Sacha Barbour Gatt is joined by Dr Linda Swan from Go Gentle Australia, who delivered the report, to discuss what euthanasia looks like in Australia in 2024.
Dr Swan said the findings were no surprise to the team, with the majority of applicants accessing VAD aged between 70 and 79.
“So, there’s really no great surprises in terms of the types of people who are accessing voluntary assisted dying. They’re older. They tend to be male. They most commonly have a cancer diagnosis,” Dr Swan said.
The report provides a detailed review of the country’s VAD laws, examining who is accessing the service, how they are being supported, and areas where the system could improve.
Dr Swan noted that while VAD still accounts for a small percentage of total deaths, the acceptance and use of the practice reflect a significant shift in societal attitudes.
“I think the overwhelming thing I’ve heard when I talk to people about the report is that a lot of people are surprised that voluntary assisted dying has been legal for as long as it has,” Dr Swan added.
Victoria was the first state to legalise VAD in 2017, and since then, all Australian states except the Northern Territory have followed suit.
“It’s delightful to see how relatively quickly voluntary assisted dying is being accepted as just a choice at the end of life, which is what it is. It’s not for everybody—only about one per cent of deaths are from people who take a voluntary assisted dying substance.”
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