Voluntary assisted dying to become law in Tasmania

Voluntary assisted dying legislation is set to become law after a historic vote and final hurdle was passed Tuesday night, with two campaigning sisters joining the celebrations. LATEST >>

TASMANIA will now have voluntary assisted dying after laws passed parliament late last night.

The End of Life Choices Bill will now be sent for Royal Assent, as Tasmania becomes the third state — after Victoria and Western Australia — to allow voluntary assisted dying.

The Legislative Council last night accepted the House of Assembly’s amendments to the legislation.

The amended Tasmanian VAD bill just passed the Legislative Council. It’s now off to the Governor General for Royal Assent 😀 #politas#auspolpic.twitter.com/SdrrWLlCIv

— Dr Bastian Seidel MLC (@DrBastianSeidel) March 23, 2021

It went through the Upper House just before 10pm, with an emotional Mersey MLC Mike Gaffney heralding the passage of the Bill that he introduced.

Its secondary passage through the Legislative Council was a mere formality after it was given the green light by the House of Assembly earlier this month.

Lower House MPs voted 16 to 6 in favour of the legislation.

It had been introduced first in the Legislative Council as a private member’s Bill by Mersey MLC Mike Gaffney.

The legislation will allow people who are suffering from advanced, incurable and irreversible conditions which are expected to cause their death within six months to end their own lives.

Sisters Jacqui Gray and Natalie Gray with daughter Tilly four months who are strong campaigners for the voluntary assisted dying bill to pass in Tasmania. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Both sides of the debate have conducted strong lobbying campaigns during what was the fourth attempt to have VAD become law after failed bids in 2009, 2013 and 2017.

Sisters Jacqui and Natalie Gray, who formed Your Choice Tas after the death of their mother Diane who suffered intolerable pain from stomach cancer leading up to her death, declared on social media on Tuesday night:

“Tasmania — today, we have ALL won,’’ they wrote.

“Mum, you are the spark that lit our fire. Where there is a will, there is a way.

“Today, both the proponents, and opponents of voluntary assisted dying laws will have their individual choices respected to decide how, where, when and with whom they end their life, following a terminal diagnosis.

“This result is the legacy of all of our loved ones, that died without this compassionate end of life choice. But, the pain and trauma experienced by each of them, has not been in vain.

“The stories of their courageous battles have helped change the invisible face of terminal suffering and the concerning dark conversations that have gone on needlessly in the absence of this law. Our loved ones have helped pave the way to allow us this profound freedom of choice — the absolute reassurance that we will never have to suffer intolerably, following a terminal diagnosis.

“Thank you to our MPs for choosing not to turn your back on people like our Mum who need our help. Thank you for listening to the majority of your constituents and voting accordingly. And of course, thank you to all the organisations involved in not just this debate, but the previous three attempts.”