Kylie Monaghan — ‘face’ of a voluntary euthanasia campaign dies at 35
THE Port Pirie woman suffering terminal cancer who became the ‘face’ of a campaign urging political support for voluntary euthanasia has died aged 35.
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VOLUNTARY euthanasia advocate Kylie Monaghan passed away yesterday from terminal cancer hoping her legacy will be South Australian MPs voting in favour of legalising the right to voluntarily die with dignity.
Ms Monaghan, 35, of Port Pirie, was the face of the Be the Bill campaign launched last month urging SA politicians to support a cross-party private members bill seeking to legalise voluntary euthanasia.
Her family released a statement that said she passed away in Port Pirie Hospital with her husband Daryll and family by her side.
“Kylie was proud to be the face of the Be the Bill campaign and she was clear that the right to die with dignity was a legacy she wanted to leave behind,” it said.
“In her final days, Kylie reiterated her wish for South Australian politicians to vote in favour of voluntary euthanasia laws. While Kylie knew the laws would not assist her, she remained determined to help others.”
Ms Monaghan was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 29 and despite a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy it spread to her liver, bones and brain.
Last month she told The Advertiser people need to talk about euthanasia.
“It’s obviously an uncomfortable situation to talk about as it’s very personal for a lot of people,” she said.
“I think people should have the right to choose — they don’t have to take it but it’s there.”
The cross-party private members bill in support of voluntary euthanasia was tabled earlier this year by Labor MP Steph Key and Liberal MP Duncan McFetridge. MPs are expected to vote on October 20 on whether to take the SA Voluntary Euthanasia Bill 2016 through to debate.
Ms Monaghan’s story features on 60 Minutes tonight, in which she says: “There is no stronger emotion than our primal fear of death.”
In the interview, she says she wants to leave a legacy of the right to die with dignity.
“Things have started to shut down ... it’s the legacy I’m going to leave behind.”
The program also features media personality Andrew Denton who established Go Gentle Australia to lobby for support of voluntary euthanasia.
He refers to the pain of people with terminal illnesses unable to end their life as “Australia’s dark little secret” and tells the program: “This week in Australia at least one elderly Australian will end their own life violently and alone.”
The Be the Bill campaign is jointly supported by Go Gentle Australia and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation.
Federation national secretary Lee Thomas said nurses witness the suffering of patients and their families and are seeking a law giving people with a terminal illness, at the end stage of life,
the right to choose a peaceful death.
“In the absence of this legislation, there are people who are suffering unrelievable pain and the damage and harm that is causing cannot be ignored,” she said.