The Western Australian government says its new assisted dying laws give terminally ill patients the choice to die on their own terms, while critics say they put people at risk. This is Margo and Michael's story.
Since Michael’s death, Margo has become one of the hundreds of Western Australians passionately campaigning for the legalisation of assisted dying. WA became the second Australian state to pass voluntary assisted dying legislationTerminally ill adults will now have the option to legally end their own lives with the assistance of doctors and nurses.
In August 2019, the state Labor government introduced the legislation to parliament, following an inquiry into end of life options and the report of an expert panel. “One of the main concerns is that doctors don’t necessarily have to be an expert in the patient’s condition when assessing the patients for eligibility," Notre Dame University bioethicist Xavier Symons says. Critics also say WA’s laws are far more liberal and open to abuse than those in Victoria.
"Medical professionals are some of the most trusted people in our society. Nevertheless, we should be trying to ensure that, as much as possible, requests are coming from patients and not from doctors," Dr Symons says.
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