Assisted dying: the ongoing debate

Perspectives of cancer treatment providers regarding voluntary assisted dying in Victoria

“…The proposed legislation applies to a competent adult with a terminal diagnosis and limited prognosis, self-administering a drug to end their life, with the assistance of medical practitioners. 1 In June 2016, the Victorian Parliament's Legal and Social Issues Committee tabled its final report of the parliamentary inquiry into end-of-life choices. The Committee received 1037 submissions and heard from 154 witnesses; conducted site visits and 17 days of public hearings around Victoria; and also visited countries and states where assisted dying legislative frameworks existed.…”

Casting Stones and Casting Aspersions: Let’s Not Lose Sight of the Main Issues in the Euthanasia Debate

“…Downie and colleagues appropriately bring to my and the readers' attention that the reference to support the quote "We don't need palliative medicine, we practice euthanasia," allegedly attributed to a Dutch physician, is incorrect. The source of that error lies in the original paper by Harris et al 9 in which I had found the statement and reference; the reference in that paper was incorrect. On the issue of the need for a consultation by a second physician, there is evidence from the Netherlands and Belgium, in the context of unreported cases 10,11 , that a second consultation is not universally done.…”

Euthanasia and assisted dying: what is the current position and what are the key arguments informing the debate?

“…Physician-assisted dying is defined as follows: a physician intentionally helping a person to terminate their life by providing drugs for self-administration, at that person's voluntary and competent request. 2,3 Consequently, in the first case a third person acts resulting in patient's death, whereas in physician-assisted dying the action is undertaken by the patient who is given lethal medication by a physician. 2 Discussion regarding withholding or withdrawing treatment and requesting assisted death has emerged in association with the simultaneous expansion of palliative care across the world.…”