Goulburn MP Wendy Tuckerman says the ability of health practitioners to conscientiously object was 'critical' to her support of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill.
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The NSW Legislative Assembly on Friday voted on the controversial bill, which legalises voluntary assisted dying, with the bill passing by 52 votes to 32.
The bill makes provisions for conscientious objection of health practitioners and Mrs Tuckerman said this was critical to obtaining her 'aye' vote.
"Voluntary assisted dying is a voluntary process for all participants at all stages," she said in her address.
"Under this bill, health practitioners have the ability to refuse or not provide services relating to voluntary assisted dying. I believe this to be critical. After all, we are debating personal choice here. In many forms, the choice to end one's life when terminally ill is an individual's right.
"The passing of this bill will not impinge on the rights of those that do not want to choose this pathway. However, not supporting this bill will deny this option for those that do."
Earlier this year the Goulburn MP reached out to the community and asked for feedback on the proposed bill.
Mrs Tuckerman said her office received an 88 per cent of responses in favour and acknowledged that regulation was important to eliminate illegal euthanasia.
"As the member for Goulburn, I have reached out to communities in the Goulburn electorate and I have received over 1,400 contributions from constituents," she revealed.
"The overwhelming majority, some 88 per cent of those contributions, have urged me to support the bill.
"The decision is essentially a personal moral, philosophical decision and should rest with an individual, not the Government of the day.
"We must acknowledge that forms of assisted dying already occur each and every day across the State. This occurs behind closed doors and is unregulated.
"It takes place without protections for the vulnerable, without protections for the medical practitioners, without ensuring that it is voluntary and without ensuring against the very risk of abuse or coercion."
The bill will now be looked at by an upper house committee before debate in the upper house in 2022.
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