Submission to
Voluntary Assisted Dying: A proposal for Tasmania 6 March 2013
About TasCOSS TasCOSS is the peak body for the Tasmanian community services sector. Its membership comprises individuals and organisations active in the provision of community services to low-income, vulnerable and disadvantaged Tasmanians. TasCOSS represents the interests of its members and their clients to government, regulators, the media and the public. Through our advocacy and policy development, we draw attention to the causes of poverty and disadvantage and promote the adoption of effective solutions to address these issues.
phone 03 6231 0755 fax 03 6223 6136 postal PO Box 1126 Sandy Bay Tas 7006 www.tascoss.org.au
Authorised by Tony Reidy, Chief Executive For enquiries Wynne Russell, Policy and Research Analyst
Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the consultation process for Voluntary Assisted Dying: A Proposal for Tasmania. TasCOSS believes that individuals facing terminal illness or major suffering have the fundamental right to determine for themselves at what point they consider the quality of their lives to have deteriorated to the point where they no longer wish to live, and we argue that they should have the ability, as a fundamental human right, to end their lives with dignity. We hold that it is crucial that end-of-life decisions are based upon the patient’s choice, rather than the personal views of individual doctors. And we believe that the medical system as a whole will benefit from moving responsibility for such choices away from compassionate medical staff to patients themselves. This does not mean that TasCOSS wishes to see any Tasmanian driven to decide to end their life. We are concerned that inequities in the health care and support system may deprive low-income and disadvantaged Tasmanians of the range of care options that better-off citizens can access to continue their lives in comfort and dignity. These inequities are particularly visible in the areas of:
In-home care and assistance, which may be difficult and expensive to obtain in rural and regional settings Psychological support, which suffers the same constraints Pain management, many approaches to which (complementary and alternative therapies, for instance) are not covered by Medicare.
These inequities have the potential to leave low-income and disadvantaged Tasmanians more vulnerable to a despairing, rather than empowered choice to end their life, whether due to lack of care, emotional or financial pressure, or simple misery. In conjunction with any new legislation to support voluntary assisted dying, we strongly call for:
The strengthening and expansion of palliative care facilities and support services in the state, particularly in rural and remote areas, to ensure that no Tasmanian feels abandoned in a time of need The development of a State government plan for equitable access to pain services, along the lines of the Queensland Government’s Persistent Pain Strategy, to ensure that all possible pain management strategies, including those not covered by Medicare, are available to all sufferers Effective measures to combat all forms of abuse, including elder abuse, to ensure that no Tasmanian feels pressured—financially or psychologically—into seeking to end their life.
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Increased funding as well as whole-of-government commitment to mental health support services, to ensure that all Tasmanians have every reason to choose to continue to live.
These measures are critical to ensuring that moves towards Voluntary Assisted Dying are truly patient-centred, as the consultation paper proposes. Thank you for accepting our submission. We are happy to provide any additional information necessary.
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