Canberrans want good deaths

If a person were to lose decision making capacity, they might also prefer that their life savings were passed to their family or children, rather than be wasted on nursing homes, palliative care or other facilities where they are forced to live when they would rather not. Hundreds of millions of dollars could be shaved from the ACT's health budget if suffering people who did not want to live were allowed to access VAD. That would benefit all Canberrans.

If these two issues are not amended in the next term of the Legislative Assembly, nothing is likely to change before 2031. The Act will commence operation in late 2025, and then we must allow three years of operation, time for a review, Legislative Assembly consideration, and amendments to commence. In the interim, people suffer.

The Assembly voted in favour of the Act 20 votes to 5. The Greens and Labor MLAs were unanimous in support of VAD. Although the Liberal Party's website emphasises '…we simply believe in individual freedom…', five Liberal MLAs-Cain, Cocks, Hanson, Kikkert and Milligan-clearly do not. They do not know what is best for each person, yet they tried to use their conscience votes to deny each Canberran a conscience vote on their own life.

At the upcoming ACT election, Canberrans have a choice. They can elect members who support individual autonomy and who will progress VAD legislation to make it accessible to all Canberrans. If they do not, then people will suffer unnecessarily. That will not make Canberra a better place.