Voluntary euthanasia laws set to be passed by parliament
Terminally ill Queenslanders will be able to end their lives at a time of their choosing from early next year, with parliament in the final stages of legalising voluntary assisted dying.
Image: Verywell Health)
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill was passed by 61 of the state’s 93 MPs in a conscience vote in Queensland’s single legislative chamber on Thursday.
Thirty MPs voted against the bill and one abstained. LNP member for Surfers Paradise John-Paul Langbroek missed the vote after being stranded by border closures.
Parliament was in the process of voting on Deputy Opposition Leader David Janetzki’s 54 proposed amendments on Thursday before taking a final vote.
The laws allow people suffering a disease, illness or medical condition that is advanced, progressive and terminal to access to voluntary-assisted dying (VAD).
Their condition must be expected to cause death within a year, they must have decision-making capacity, and proceed without coercion.
The scheme will be operating from January 2023, meaning Queensland will become the fifth jurisdiction in Australia to legalise euthanasia.
Voluntary-assisted dying is legal in Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania.
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