Voluntary assisted dying [Position Statement]

[Preamble] Voluntary Assisted Dying refers to the administration of a Voluntary Assisted Dying substance and includes steps reasonably related to such administration (clause 3(1))1. Voluntary Assisted Dying is now part of Victorian, Western Australian and Tasmanian law2-4; and Queensland has a consultation process underway5. The significant political and mainstream media attention given to the Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation in mainstream media6-9 suggests Voluntary Assisted Dying remains a major social policy issue with significant implications for the health system, health professionals and greater society10. Members of the nursing community across Australia will likely have questions about Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation as it pertains to each state or territory and possible implications for how the legislation is enacted and monitored, how vulnerable populations are appropriately safeguarded, and for their individual circumstances.

Citation: Australian College of Nursing (ACN). 2020, ‘ Voluntary Assisted Dying – Position Statement’, ACN, Canberra. © ACN 2020