Euthanasia debate: NSW Parliament to consider drafted legislation on assisted dying
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
New South Wales is a step closer to allowing terminally ill people to voluntarily end their lives, with a draft bill with cross-party support being released today.
The Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill has been drafted by a parliamentary working group made up of members from the Coalition, Labor, Greens and an independent.
The draft bill would give a person over the age of 25 the right to request assistance from a medical practitioner to end their life. . . .[ Full text]
- The bill does not include a protection of conscience provision per se. However, Sections 6, 24 and 25 permit a practitioner to refuse to participate for any reason, making no distinction between refusal for reasons of conscience and refusal for other reasons. It also equally protects both participating and non-participating practitioners from criminal and civil liability.