A state government move to look at voluntary euthanasia has been welcomed by a Wagga woman whose mother is dying from motor-neurone disease (MND).
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A cross-party working group is finalising draft legislation to allow terminally ill adults to legally end their lives, which is expected to be released for public consultation as early as next month.
Finer details of the bill are being kept under wraps, but Fairfax Media has confirmed it will not apply to those under 18 years old and only to the terminally ill.
Two doctors would have to agree and the person would need to be of sound mind and capable of giving consent.
Lisa Vidler said people should have the right to die if they are suffering from painful, terminal conditions.
“I’ve always supported voluntary euthanasia, even before Mum got sick,” Ms Vidler said.
“If it was me I know I’d want the choice. Watching what she’s going through, seeing what it’s like, I wonder if I could go through it.”
Three years after being diagnosed with MND, Ms Vidler’s 65-year-old mother is confined to a nursing home, unable to speak or take care of herself. The only way she can communicate with the world is with a computer that translates her eye movements into text.
“For me, (the worst part) is the loss of dignity,” Ms Vidler said.
“She has to rely on people to do everything for her, she can’t scratch her nose, no real means of communicating if she's in pain.
“Politicians need to listen to people, as long as they make it watertight in court and it’s left up to the individual.”
However, in an early indication of the challenges facing the bill, Premier Mike Baird and Opposition Leader Luke Foley told Fairfax Media they are personally opposed to changing the law and would not vote for change should it make it to the lower house.
In a statement the working group said: “Law reform on the issue of assisted dying is necessary.
“The prolonging of pain, suffering, and distress, for both the terminally ill and their families, is not necessary; the fundamental principle behind the call for legislating to allow for assisted dying is to provide dignity to people who wish to pass peacefully and on their own terms.”
Public polling has consistently showed the majority of Australians were in favour of voluntary euthanasia.