Voluntary Assisted Dying bill: Dee Hilton Shayne Higson share support

A former high school teacher battling a rare illness has told of her desire to choose when to end her life. It comes as a historic bill is set to be brought before parliament next month.

The Hilton family was hit by tragedy when Constable Melanie Hilton was killed in a car crash aged just 20.

Now with another tragedy striking the family, they are fighting for her mother Dee to have the right to choose a peaceful, pain-free end to her terminal illness.

Melanie’s death in 2002 was devastating for the Hilton family but sadly it is not the only tragedy to befall them.

It was Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, and proud home cook Mrs Hilton was making the feast to break their fast when she realised she had created an inedible mess.

It was the catalyst for the Woollahra woman’s diagnosis with a rare and cruel neurological condition called multiple system atrophy.

“I never used a recipe but it always turned out perfectly and yet this time I’d missed out so many steps. I never even boiled the pasta – it’s like how to do it just disappeared from my brain,” Mrs Hilton said.

The former high school teacher, who raised her family in the Southern Highlands before relocating to the eastern suburbs, now struggles to even follow the plot in a novel.

The Hilton family have already lost Melanie and now face losing Dee.

The accomplished young constable was killed in 2002.

As her condition progresses she will likely be unable to recognise her family and friends and lose control of her bodily functions.

With the support of her family, including beloved husband Andrew, she is lobbying her local MP Gabrielle Upton to vote in favour of a Voluntary Assisted Dying bill set to be brought before parliament when it resumes next month by independent MP Alex Greenwich.

“The only mercy with Melanie I guess is that it was instant. There was no going to hospitals and suffering,” Mrs Hilton said.

“This (voluntary euthanasia) is absolutely what I want.

“My siblings, some of whom are very religious, and my husband are supportive too. It’s not that they want to get me off the planet, but they understand why I want the option.

“Things are diminishing fast for me and they’re only going to get worse.”

The close-knit Hilton family support matriarch Dee (centre) to die with dignity.

After Queensland passed legislation last week, NSW is now the only state without Voluntary Assisted Dying legalised.

Many but not all eastern suburbs politicians from across the political spectrum have expressed support for the bill.

Liberal Wentworth MP Dave Sharma is in support however his state counterpart, Member for Vaucluse Gabrielle Upton told the Wentworth Courier she is undecided.

At the 2019 federal election a VoteCompass poll showed 82 per cent of people in Vaucluse support voluntary euthanasia.

“I have personal concerns about what I think are the possible risks associated with voluntary assisted dying,” Ms Upton said.

“Ultimately my support for a change will turn on the nature of the bill when it’s introduced into the NSW parliament.

“It’s not clear at this stage when the Bill will come before the parliament and whether a conscience vote will be allowed if it does.”

Mr Sharma said he was impressed by the detail in Mr Greenwich’s bill.

“Alex Greenwich’s Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation has been carefully crafted and contains a number of important safeguards, both to ensure the law is not abused and those who object are not compelled to participate,” Mr Sharma told the Wentworth Courier.

“I recognise there are a range of different views within the community on this, but I believe this legislation, carefully crafted and with safeguards, deserves support.”

Sisters Sally Boileau, Shayne Higson, Kerrie Winning and their mother, Jan Ryder.

Queens Park resident Shayne Higson had a role in helping the successful campaigns in other states and now she wants the same for NSW.

Ms Higson acted as carer for her beloved mum Jan, who lived in Kings Cross, in the last seven and a half months of her life as she battled aggressive brain cancer.

In the nine years since her mum’s death, Ms Higson has completely devoted herself to the campaign to secure the right for all Australians to access Voluntary Assisted Dying.

“The last few weeks of mum’s life the suffering was terrible and she pleaded with me, with my sisters and with her partner to end her life but of course we couldn’t,” Ms Higson said.

“At the end stage when her suffering couldn’t be alleviated we were advised to take her to a hospice even though we promised her we would never do that. But even then suffering did not stop.

“If she had the choice, it would probably have only been 15 days before she actually died that she would have chosen to go.

“My mum loved life. She was 77 and had five beautiful grandchildren.

“I promised myself from the day she passed away that I would do whatever I could to change the law.”

Supplied Editorial Jan Ryder and her daughter Shayne Higson

Mr Greenwich said he will be bringing the bill before parliament at the earliest available opportunity which is expected to be in October when it resumes sitting.

Labor, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party and One Nation have all committed to conscience votes and the National Party has pledged strong support.

Mr Greenwich urged the Liberals to also permit conscience votes.

“The NSW model I have put forward it is a compassionate but also an extremely conservative model,” he said.

“We have conscientious objections provisions to ensure no doctor or healthcare provider is in any way forced to participate. We also have an entities provision which means no hospital or nursing home needs to take part.

“There are strong provisions to ensure there is no coercion and to ensure the decision making process is rigorously assessed. There’s also a strong Supreme Court review process available.

“We go further in terms of safeguards than any other state has.”