If we thought 2018 was going to be a quiet year then we were mistaken. The issue of voluntary assisted dying is a hot topic across Australia and around the world. There has been a great deal of media and many developments to keep abreast...
Paul Gabrielides was the husband of Annie Gabrielides, who was the ‘face’ of Dying with Dignity NSW’s 2017 campaign for the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill (2017). Annie started the petition on Change.org “Don’t leave me trapped in a dying body - allow me to die peacefully” which received over 115,000 signatures. She lost her battle with Motor...
Local and international media were fascinated by the story of the 104 year old scientist from Western Australia who travelled to Switzerland to end his life in May 2018. [caption id="attachment_12250" align="alignright" width="400"] Dr David Goodall, described as Australia's oldest working scientist, has produced more than 100 research papers,...
Almost 500 written submsisions have been made to The Select Committee on End of Life Choices for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Many submissions include heart-wrenching stories of watching family members suffer. 487 submissions have been published and are available to download on the ACT Legislative...
On 9 April 2018 Neil Francis (pictured) gave evidence to the WA Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices that more than 75 per cent of Liberal and National voters support voluntary assisted dying but their local MPs are more likely to vote against the will...
With the Governor’s signature on 5 April 2018, Hawaii has given terminally ill patients the option to request medication that could end their lives. The new law, known as the Our Care, Our Choice Act, was passed by The Hawaii State Senate with a 23-2 vote on March 29, 2018. The...
Thanks to all those who attended our 2018 Annual General Meeting in Sydney on 17 March. We were very fortunate to have as our guest speaker the Hon. Lynda Voltz MLC, a Labor Upper House MP, the Shadow Minister for Sport and Veterans Affairs, and member...
Data provided by State Coroner Rosalinda Fogliani to the Parliament of Western Australia Joint Select Committee on End of Life Choices revealed that a person with a terminal or debilitating illness takes their own life every nine days in WA. Police Commissioner Chris Dawson told the commitee the...
2017 was a big year for the voluntary assisted dying campaign in NSW and this newsletter includes or plans for 2018 and 2019. Read about what you can do now to help maintain the momentum that is building up across Australia and in many jurisdictions...
The NSW Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2017 failed to pass in the NSW Upper House by one vote. All MPs were given a conscience vote (apart from the 5 Greens who supported it as party policy and the 2 Christian Democrats who opposed it as...
[caption id="attachment_7614" align="alignright" width="300"] Noel Conway and his wife, Carol McCusker, in 2016[/caption] Noel Conway, now aged 68, is a retired college lecturer who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a form of motor neurone disease) in November 2014. His condition is incurable and terminal. Last October, Noel...
The Australian Capital Territory's Legislative Assembly is calling for submissions to a Select Committee on End of Life Choices, which will review and report on end of life choices in the ACT on or before the 29 November 2018. The Chair of the Committee, Bec Cody...