Episode 22: The line between voluntary assisted dying and criminal conviction

Content warning: this episode of The Checkup discusses highly sensitive topics, including death and suicide. If you find this episode triggering, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. In Australia, criminal law prohibits active voluntary euthanasia, however Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation has been introduced and/or passed in various states, making it accessible for persons who meet a certain criteria. The intersection of criminal law and new end-of-life legislation raises a few questions: What will we see change across the healthcare industry? Will patients and their treatment options be impacted? How will it impact the lives of our loved ones? In this episode of The Checkup, BN’s Milyka McCutcheon unpacks these questions alongside Dr Katrine Del Villar, a health law researcher at Queensland University of Technology. Together, they also discuss a 2018 criminal prosecution involving the assisted death of a terminally ill woman, and how the application of today’s end-of-life legislation might have resulted in a different outcome.   This episode of The Checkup was editing by Audio Advantage.