In coming months our 93 state MPs will vote on a proposed law to introduce voluntary assisted dying (VAD).
The state government asked the independent and expert Queensland Law Reform Commission to draft a VAD Bill which has now been released and will soon be the subject of scrutiny and feedback by the parliamentary Health Committee before being debated by MPs in September.
The QLRC’s report and draft Bill mark a milestone in the long and hard battle to secure VAD laws for Queenslanders.
Many people involved with Dying With Dignity Queensland have waged this fight for more than 30 years.
Many of them could have benefited from a VAD law but have died long before seeing the latest positive developments in the law reform process.
As we continue to push for VAD laws we should remember them.
VAD laws have been passed in Victoria, Western Australia, and Tasmania, and already operate in many places overseas. But there is no guarantee the Queensland Bill will succeed.
So all Queenslanders wanting a better choice at the end of life must let their local MP know that they are expecting them to vote for VAD.
While MPs will have a conscience vote on the VAD Bill, they should remember that the Bill is not about them.
It is about giving terminally ill people or those dying from a neurological condition a voluntary choice to end their intolerable suffering.
Voluntary assisted dying will not result in a single extra death but it will mean a lot less suffering.
If anyone wants to support our fight I urge them to visit www.dwdq.org.au or phone  1300 733 818.
Jos Hall
President
Dying With Dignity Queensland
