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Why Is Euthanasia Legalized In Australia

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Euthanasia refers to when a person is assisted in ending their life in an attempt to relieve them from their pain and suffering. Usually, the person has an incurable medical condition and the decision for a person to undergo voluntary euthanasia (VE) is made by the person suffering, relatives, doctors and sometimes even the courts. Euthanasia is illegal in Australia on a federal level; however, it has been legalised by some states and territories. The act of Euthanasia is still an illegal act in New South Wales, although, over the past few years it has gone through much debate on whether to legalise the act in parliament. In 2017, a bill for the legalisation of voluntary Euthanasia went through New South Wales Parliament and was voted upon in the upper house. There were 19 votes in support of …show more content…

Consequently, it was not legalised in NSW.
The main condition behind the need to for a law reform concerning voluntary euthanasia was to try to create justice for those suffering from a terminal or incurable illness. For the over two decades that this has been an issue in Australia, the public has always had a vast majority in support of the law reform, despite its controversy due to societies changing morals and values over time. “The prolonging of pain, suffering and distress, for both the terminally ill and their families, is not necessary” (Sean Nicholls, Kate Aubusson, 2017) . Many believe that with the absence of legalised euthanasia in New South Wales, those in society with a terminal illness or in excruciating pain have been restricted of their right to die with dignity and having the option to choose how they die (autonomy). On the

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