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phone 03 6231 0755
fax 03 6223 6136
postal PO Box 1126
Sandy Bay
Tas 7006
www.tascoss.org.au
Submission to
Voluntary Assisted Dying: A proposal for Tasmania 6 March 2013
About TasCOSS
TasCOSS is the peak body for the Tasmanian community
services sector. Its membership comprises individuals and
organisations active in the provision of community services
to low-income, vulnerable and disadvantaged Tasmanians.
TasCOSS represents the interests of its members and their
clients to government, regulators, the media and the
public. Through our advocacy and policy development,
we draw attention to the causes of poverty and
disadvantage and promote the adoption of effective
solutions to address these issues.
Authorised by
Tony Reidy, Chief Executive
For enquiries
Wynne Russell, Policy and Research
Analyst
1
Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the consultation process for Voluntary
Assisted Dying: A Proposal for Tasmania.
TasCOSS believes that individuals facing terminal illness or major suffering have the
fundamental right to determine for themselves at what point they consider the
quality of their lives to have deteriorated to the point where they no longer wish to
live, and we argue that they should have the ability, as a fundamental human right,
to end their lives with dignity.
We hold that it is crucial that end-of-life decisions are based upon the patient’s
choice, rather than the personal views of individual doctors. And we believe that the
medical system as a whole will benefit from moving responsibility for such choices
away from compassionate medical staff to patients themselves.
This does not mean that TasCOSS wishes to see any Tasmanian driven to decide to
end their life. We are concerned that inequities in the health care and support
system may deprive low-income and disadvantaged Tasmanians of the range of
care options that better-off citizens can access to continue their lives in comfort and
dignity. These inequities are particularly visible in the areas of:
In-home care and assistance, which may be difficult and expensive to obtain
in rural and regional settings
Psychological support, which suffers the same constraints
Pain management, many approaches to which (complementary and
alternative therapies, for instance) are not covered by Medicare.
These inequities have the potential to leave low-income and disadvantaged
Tasmanians more vulnerable to a despairing, rather than empowered choice to end
their life, whether due to lack of care, emotional or financial pressure, or simple
misery.
In conjunction with any new legislation to support voluntary assisted dying, we
strongly call for:
The strengthening and expansion of palliative care facilities and support
services in the state, particularly in rural and remote areas, to ensure that no
Tasmanian feels abandoned in a time of need
The development of a State government plan for equitable access to pain
services, along the lines of the Queensland Government’s Persistent Pain
Strategy, to ensure that all possible pain management strategies, including
those not covered by Medicare, are available to all sufferers
Effective measures to combat all forms of abuse, including elder abuse, to
ensure that no Tasmanian feels pressured—financially or psychologically—into
seeking to end their life.
2
Increased funding as well as whole-of-government commitment to mental
health support services, to ensure that all Tasmanians have every reason to
choose to continue to live.
These measures are critical to ensuring that moves towards Voluntary Assisted Dying
are truly patient-centred, as the consultation paper proposes.
Thank you for accepting our submission. We are happy to provide any additional
information necessary.
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