Disability groups warn on rushed & unsafe vad expansion push
Disability groups have warned candidates running in the ACT election against committing to a push to expand Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) to people with disability without a terminal illness or decision-making capacity following a nudge survey of all candidates by a lobby group.
The contentious survey also calls for candidates to bring forward and override the review of the legislation currently scheduled for 2028 to November 2024. This is despite the legislation only being introduced this year and the scheme not even being operational.
AFI Head of Policy Craig Wallace said “disability groups warned about the risks of VAD being continually expanded including to people unable to give free consent and to wider groups of people with disabilities. Expanding VAD to people without decision making capacity leads to concerns that euthanasia may be offered to people with intellectual and cognitive disability, while removing any terminal illness requirement could see VAD extended to many groups of people with disability.
“The ACT already has the widest VAD criteria in Australia which does not require a terminal illness timeframe and allows nurses to be consulting or coordinating VAD practitioners.
“In Canada we have seen the alarming growth of the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) scheme where people with disabilities have been offered euthanasia instead of wheelchair ramps, therapies and medications to make life tolerable.
“The criteria for MAID was expanded following lobbying and political campaigning from the powerful well-funded VAD lobby but as we implement VAD in the ACT we need to do everything we can to offer Canberrans with disability good lives with proper supports and to listen to voices across the community on this.
“There are people with disability who support VAD and others who have concerns and we need to ensure all voices are heard through genuine consultation and review processes.
“It’s alarming to us that the scheme hasn’t even started operating here and we already have a push to radically expand the scheme and change the proposed review timetable.to kick off in the new Assembly which convenes in November 2024. We’ve only just seen the VAD model of care and we don’t have a review board yet. How can we review a scheme that hasn’t started?
“It’s especially concerning that the survey appears to suggests that ACT election candidates should commit to expanding VAD regardless of what a review actually says. We’ve all had enough of staged consultations in areas like the NDIS where governments seem to do what they want regardless of what community says.
“We’re calling on candidates to rule out committing to a radical rushed expansion of VAD before it even starts and to commit to thoughtful policy work and genuine open consultation and safeguard work with the disability community.
“We need to make the scheme we have safe and that is why in this election disability groups have taken a constructive approach and called on governments to implement a support package to anticipate and prevent unintended impacts of the new scheme.
“This includes an emergency pool of diversionary disability supports for people considering VAD, suicide prevention work targeted towards people with disability, and disability training for all doctors and nurses involved in VAD prescribing VAD”, Mr Wallace concluded.
Attachment A: Canberrans for a Good Death candidate survey
Media Contacts
Craig Wallace, Head of Policy on 0477 200 755.
Authorised by Craig Wallace for Advocacy for Inclusion