Supporters of “Dying with Dignity” were present in Comur Street to speak with locals about voluntary assisted dying (VAD) and the impending Bill which will be debated in NSW Parliament this year.
The Dying with Dignity group have received over 50,000 signatures to their petition prior to the weekend, with that figure no doubt growing after their day in Yass on Saturday.
Within the Goulburn electorate a recent study suggested 79% of people agree that “terminally ill patients should be able to end their own lives”, and with South Australia on Thursday passing their own VAD Bill, the pressure on NSW Government to do the same will only intensify.
Dying with Dignity’s President, Penny Hackett, says it’s time NSW caught up with the other states and moved to make voluntary assisted dying legal.
“Laws are in place in Victoria, about to come into effect in Western Australia, have just passed in Tasmania and are on the way in South Australia and Queensland. The question is – why not NSW?” asks Ms Hackett.
“It’s time to get this done once and for all – we’re asking supportive members of NSW Parliament to work collaboratively on this Bill so it receives cross-party support to become law.”
Yass local and organiser of the gathering, Sally Curlewis, is passionate about the issue due to personal experiences with her parents.
“I’m passionate because I’ve been through a horrendous death with my parents.”
“If we have voluntary euthanasia as an option, not everybody has to use it, but if you have it as an option you’ll live a better life knowing you have that option,” she said.
With most of the country now having passed or being in the process of passing their own voluntary assisted dying Bill, is it time NSW followed suit?
The petition can be signed online, at the following link: https://dwdnsw.nationbuilder.com/petition_2020.
Max O’Driscoll
