Euthanasia: 52 Victorians take approved lethal dose in first six months of new laws

Fifty-two Victorians suffering a terminal illness have died using a government-endorsed lethal medication in the first six months of the state's landmark euthanasia laws, far surpassing preliminary estimates of just 12 people in the first year.

Forty-three drank the lethal dose themselves and another nine people, who were too ill to swallow the medication, had the dose administered intravenously by a doctor.

"Fifty-two Victorians have been able to have a peaceful death at a time and manner of their choosing," Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said. "We always knew that it was going to be very strict eligibility – that was what the parliament intended – but nevertheless there is strong demand from the community.”

Lethal medication has been dispensed to 66 people, while 135 people applied for permits and were deemed eligible between June 19 and December last year. This number is understood to have since swollen to more than 200 people.

Among them is grandfather of three Creighton Parker, 69, who is in the final stages of motor neurone disease.

Creighton Parker has applied for a permit to die. Credit: Chris Hopkins

Following his diagnosis in 2017, Mr Parker renovated his home in Melbourne's east, so that when he ended up in a wheelchair he would be less of a burden on his wife of almost 50 years, Judy, who is now his full-time carer.

"I have always been a very black and white person," Mr Parker said.

"My view, is that I have lived a very good life with wonderful people. I have a wife who I love very much. Three children who we are very proud of. I can cling to life, just to keep breathing and holding on, and the last 7 or 4 per cent of my life can be really awful, or I can choose when and how I want my life to end."

The disease, which started in Mr Parker's hands, has invaded his arms and legs, causing his muscles to weaken. He fears being entombed in his body if the disease robs him of his voice and ability to swallow and breath. His GP and neurologist have both determined he has less than a year to live.

Creighton and Judy Parker. Credit: Chris Hopkins

"I have never thought of myself as particularly brave," he said.

"I sometimes wonder, if when it comes to it, whether I will have the courage or not. But simply having the medication in my back pocket, knowing it is there if I want it, is of great comfort to me."

Eighty-one people were issued with permits to die last year, according to the Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board’s inaugural six-monthly report released on Wednesday.

Senior doctors, however, have warned that bureaucratic barriers are locking some terminally ill people out of the laws, including a shortage of trained specialists in regional areas, that forces bedridden and immobile Victorians to travel hours to Melbourne to visit neurologists, oncologists and haematologists.

More than 370 doctors have either completed the training or are undertaking the training required – a third of them are in regional Victoria.

Nineteen people also had their applications to end their lives withdrawn for reasons including dying before obtaining a permit and administrative errors, lsuch as  failing to prove their Australian citizenship which is a requirement of the laws.

Oncologist Cameron McLaren, who has so far helped 37 people obtain permits to die, drives hours across the state each week visiting terminally ill people in their homes. Seventeen of his patients have died using the legislation.

“At the moment I am acting as a rescue assessor for people who just don’t have the time to look for another doctor,” Dr McLaren said.

Dr McLaren implored the government to publicly release data omitted from the report, including the number of rejected applications, along with a breakdown of specialist doctors signed up to the scheme by geographical location.

“We need to ensure equity in access across the state," he said. "We need to know why applications are being withdrawn and why they are being rejected to help us work out who we are failing."

Former Supreme Court judge Betty King, QC, who is chair of the voluntary assisted dying review board, said the board had recently started collecting data on terminally ill people who were unable to access the laws, including those who died by other means.

"You must remember this is a relatively new process,” Ms King said. “We have started trying to collect that information and setting up processes so we can get that feedback.”

Despite the trauma of watching them die, most families supported their loved one through the process.

"The feedback has been predominantly about how peaceful it was, how it was fabulous for my parent or my loved one to be able to choose, to be surrounded by family, to play music and to just quietly go to sleep," Ms King said adding there was no evidence of coercion and all cases were compliant with the laws.

Health Minister Jenny Mikakos.Credit: Chris Hopkins

Mr Parker wants to live until his 70th birthday in June. Until then, he plans on doing the things he loves most: being with his wife and savouring every moment with his grandchildren and children, reading the news each day and watching the gridiron.

The state's historic laws allow access to lethal drugs for terminally ill adults who have only about six months to live and meet other strict eligibility criteria, such as being able to give informed consent.

The laws were designed to be the most conservative in the world, with only 150 people expected to use the scheme annually in the coming years.

More information on voluntary assisted dying is available here.

If you are troubled by this report or experiencing a personal crisis, you can call Lifeline 131 114 or Beyond Blue 1300 224 636 or visit lifeline.org.au or beyondblue.com.au