NSW Upper House urged to vote down dangerous VAD amendment
Go Gentle has written to members of the NSW Upper House urging them to vote down a surprise bill that would take away the right to access voluntary assisted dying (VAD) in aged care.
The bill, introduced by Susan Carter MLC, seeks to give religious aged care providers the right to prevent residents from accessing VAD in their homes – a right protected under our federal aged care laws. It is being debated this week (Wednesday 22 October).
Go Gentle’s CEO Dr Linda Swan said:
“We are deeply concerned about this proposed change that has the potential to inflict serious harm on some of our most vulnerable older people.
“When a person enters residential aged care, that place becomes their home. This bill would unreasonably allow an aged care home to force an older dying person off the premises.
“This would be no matter how unwell or close to death that person is. In effect they would be forced out of familiar surroundings, and away from their friends and community, to be cared for by strangers.
“These politicians seem to forget that older people have rights no matter where they live. The federal aged care regulator, the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, has made it crystal clear that ‘a person should not be disadvantaged if they live in an aged care facility and want information about and/or access to VAD’.
“We call on Upper House members to vote down this cruel amendment so that older people are not denied their rights – and their choices – just because they call an aged care facility their home.”
Read Go Gentle Australia’s letter to NSW MLCs
Send a message to Upper House members urging them to vote against the bill