Voluntary assisted dying: estimating life expectancy to determine eligibility

Abstract

https:// conte nt.legis lation.vic.gov.au/sites/ defau lt/files/ 2021-06/17-61aa0 05%20aut horis ed.pdf (viewed June 2022).

Voluntary assisted dying: estimating life expectancy to determine eligibility

“…to the editor: When statutes govern clinical activity, doctors need to know exactly what those legislative provisions mean. Nahm and colleagues 1 address this in their article on eligibility for Australia's voluntary assisted dying (VAD) laws. 1 However, in our opinion, the authors misinterpreted the relevant provisions, risking reduced access for eligible patients.…”

“…Nahm and colleagues 1 address this in their article on eligibility for Australia's voluntary assisted dying (VAD) laws. 1 However, in our opinion, the authors misinterpreted the relevant provisions, risking reduced access for eligible patients.…”

Voluntary assisted dying: estimating life expectancy to determine eligibility

“…Our aim was therefore to help doctors identify those patients unlikely to live beyond 6 months using our experience researching prognostication in advanced cancer. 2 We are not advocating that the criterion regarding life expectancy should be narrowed from 6 months to 2 months. We are advocating that Australia's VAD laws should be harmonised and improved by including clearer definitions and explanations of phrases such as “expected to cause death within 6 months” to clarify how certain a doctor should be that a person requesting VAD would otherwise die within the specified time.…”