Vote on voluntary assisted dying legislation could be held as soon as Friday morning

A major setback in the last ditch push to legalise voluntary assisted dying in Tasmania could soon be cleared. LATEST >>

A MAJOR hurdle in the latest push to legalise voluntary assisted dying in Tasmania could be cleared as soon as Friday morning.

Legislative Council members are expected to agree to a special sitting starting at 9am as they near a decision on the Bill, that would give terminally ill people in intolerable suffering the legal right to end their life.

MLCs debated amendments during a marathon and at times emotion-charged session on Tuesday that spanned more than 15 hours.

They had two clauses — out of the more than 140 in the Bill — remaining to consider when they adjourned proceedings after midnight.

If MLCs pass the legislation, it would still need to go through the House of Assembly, where MPs will have a conscience vote.

But if the Legislative Council does give the green light, it will be the furthest such laws have ever reached, after three other attempts in 2009, 2013 and 2017 were introduced in the Lower House and foiled.

Sisters and lead petitioners, Natalie and Jacqui Gray look on during the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill debate in the Legislative council. Picture: Zak Simmonds

Sisters Jacqui and Natalie Gray support the Bill and have sat through the entire parliamentary proceedings.

They formed Your Choice Tas after a promise they made to their gravely ill mother, Diane, who suffered intolerable pain leading up to her death last year after a stomach cancer diagnosis.

The sisters said they were cautiously optimistic the Bill would be passed on Friday.

“There is no shying away from the fact this is what Tasmania wants ... we’re feeling confident,’’ Jacqui said.

The sisters said the legislation had been critiqued and fine-tuned by MLCs and believed if passed by the Legislative Council, the Bill would gain momentum on its way to the House of Assembly.

Mersey MLC Mike Gaffney, who has introduced the legislation as a private member’s Bill, said he expected his colleagues to vote to meet again on Friday.

“There will be a number of Tasmanians watching [on Friday] to see which way their elected representative votes on this Bill,’’ he said.

The Bill has also been backed by groups like Dying with Dignity Tasmania, but opposed by church and religious groups.