By Tate Papworth
Ardeer resident Nia Sims says Victoria’s new assisted dying laws will change her life.
As of Wednesday last week, terminally ill Victorians are able to begin the process of accessing voluntary assisted dying.
Ms Sims, a leading voluntary assisted dying advocate, said she was relieved.
“This law is about peace of mind,” she said. “I may not need to use the medication, but just knowing it is at hand will make it easier for me to live with much less anxiety.”
Ms Sims has been living with a severe form of rare autoimmune disease scleroderma for more than 20 years.
“The ability to choose a gentle death gives me a new peace of mind that I won’t have to suffer a prolonged, traumatic death,” she said. “It’s not something I expect a great number of people to want to access, but it’s extremely important to those who do.”
The medication will not be easy to access – Victoria’s voluntary assisted dying model is described as the world’s most conservative.
A person can only gain access if they meet all of the strict eligibility criteria, make three clear requests and have two independent medical assessments that determine they are eligible.
Furthermore, the conversation must always be started by the patient. Medical practitioners who raise the topic will be subject to unprofessional conduct investigations.
It can also only be accessed by adults with decision-making capacity who are suffering and have an incurable, advanced and progressive disease, illness or medical condition that is likely to cause death within six months.
Ms Sims said some of the safeguards were disappointing.
“We’ve got to start somewhere, but for those who supported the law it was disappointing to see the life expectancy criteria drop from 12 months to six,” she said.
“Accessing this isn’t a quick process – it can take weeks as it is.”
