Dr Lancee: I stood up for what is right
by Dr Alida Lancee
The lack of assisted dying legislation has been a huge problem in my care of my terminally ill patients for the past 20 years. The 1913 criminal code still in place today … leaves doctors, patients and their loved ones vulnerable and causes much unnecessary suffering. My plan was to openly admit my assistance to my dying patients and challenge the law. I was able to gather three politicians from the major parties, equally passionate about helping reduce end-of-life suffering, to come together and draft an effective, workable assisted dying Bill with safeguards in place. It will be presented to the WA Parliament after the state election on March 11.
Read Article from The West Australian 4 January 2017 by Dr Lancee
Dr Alida Lancee, a GP with a practice in Fremantle WA, is currently being investigated by police after she wrote an article about her role in assisting the death of an 80-year-old woman with end-stage emphysema, at the patients expressed wish. In late August, Dr Lancee made a statement to The West Australian that police were investigating me for murder and her lawyer Johnson Kitto had advised her to remain silent.
Click for Dr Lancees open letter to her colleagues published in Australian Doctor 8/9/16 – GP-writes-open-letter-to-colleagues-on-euthanasia
Click for Dr Lancees piece included in Go Gentle Australias book The Damage Done – DamageDone_Dr-Lancee
Click to see Dr Lancees Community Run Petition 26/12/16
Dr Alida Lancee gave the following talk about ‘Moral and Ethical dilemmas in end of life care’ at the National Ethics Conference at Sydney University on 22 June 2017