Submission in response to Victorian Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill Discussion Paper

This document is a submission made by the APS in 2017 in response to the Victorian Government Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill Discussion Paper.

This submission provides the APS perspective on the access, safeguards and practical considerations in creating a compassionate and safe assisted dying framework.

The focus of the Discussion Paper is recommendation 49 of the Parliamentary Committee – that the government introduces a legislative framework to allow voluntary assisted dying based on the framework recommended by the Parliamentary Committee.

The APS endorses a best practice approach to end-of-life care, wherein the person fully understands the alternatives and the main ramifications of his/her decisions. Ultimately, the APS emphasises the importance of a process that is characterised by care, compassion and considered decision-making over time.

The APS provides a response to questions posed in the Discussion Paper that are relevant to the APS and to psychologists’ areas of expertise.

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