Voluntary assisted dying in Australia: emerging questions.

The median age of voluntary assisted dying applicants is similar in Victoria and Western Australia (about 73 years).[[15]] Most had advanced cancer (Victoria: 82%; Western Australia: 68%), neurodegenerative diseases (especially motor neurone disease), or organ failure, and most were receiving palliative care (Victoria: 81%; Western Australia: 85%). Keywords: Euthanasia; Terminal care; Legislation, medical EN Euthanasia Terminal care Legislation, medical 208 210 3 09/05/23 20230904 NES 230904 Until six years ago, there were no voluntary assisted dying laws in Australia, despite strong public support and fifty attempts in parliaments around the country. During 2021-22, voluntary assisted dying was involved in 0.58% of all deaths in Victoria,[15] and 1.1% of all deaths in Western Australia.[16] It is involved in 0.59% of deaths in Oregon,[18] where self-administered assisted dying has been available since 1998 for people expected to live less than six months. 17 Sellars M, White B, Yates P, Willmott L. Medical practitioners' views and experiences of being involved in voluntary assisted dying in Victoria, Australia: a qualitative interview study among participating doctors. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Medical Journal of Australia is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)