Dr Joe McGirr, Wes Fang, Steph Cooke respond to calls for Voluntary Assisted Dying stance

Over the weekend, religious leaders penned an open letter to Cootamundra MP Steph Cooke, Wagga-based MLC Wes Fang and Member for Wagga Joe McGirr, asking them to vote 'no' to a draft bill to legalise voluntary assisted dying in NSW for those with less than six months to live.

The draft bill has allowances for conscientious objection, and local advocates for assisted dying responded to the letter by calling on the politicians to support the bill.

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Both Dr McGirr and Ms Cooke declined to give any definitive answer on their stance, while Mr Fang said he remains firmly in support of the proposed bill.

"I believe that those who live their life with dignity, should be afforded the opportunity to die with dignity," Mr Fang said.

"That is why I supported the bill last time and, given what I have seen, I expect I'll be supporting the bill this time as well."

Ms Cooke said she would represent the views of her electorate in any debate that came up if an assisted dying bill was introduced.

"When the time comes to debate any Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill in the NSW Legislative Assembly, I will give it careful consideration and be guided by the views of the people of the Cootamundra electorate," she said.

The Cootamundra MP said she would be surveying her community for feedback on the issue in the coming weeks.

Dr McGirr, who has previously stated he will not support any euthanasia bill, pointed to his earlier comments but said he would consider the "range of views" he has heard on the topic.

Geoff Burch, an advocate for assisted dying, said politicians need to reflect the views of the electorate, which recent surveys show is largely in support of assisted dying.

"Politicians, you need to show a bit more grit," Mr Burch said. "Congratulations to people like Wes Fang who are happy to stand up and represent their constituents."

Bishop Mark Edwards said it was up to politicians to vote for what they believe is right, even if that means going against the majority.

"In the end, politicians have to do what they think is right - if the majority of people thought it would be appropriate to have something morally abhorrent approved, it is their job to vote it down," he said.

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