Opinion: Missing piece in end-of-life planning

Government support for Advance Care Directives and end-of-life planning is increasing yet, despite the progress, politicians remain reluctant to mention the e-word, says Dying with Dignity campaigner.

Opinion: by Syd Hickman*

State governments are making progress towards recognising and endorsing end-of-life planning but they are deliberately ignoring the vital element of voluntary euthanasia.

The acceptance of Advance Care Directives (ACD) gives patients the power to refuse treatments they don’t want. The shuffle between nursing homes and hospitals when a person is about to die is now being tackled. But many people are still condemned to weeks or months of mental and physical anguish when all they want is to die in peace. 

Every year roughly 100, 000 Australians die of ‘old age’ or incurable diseases. That number will grow as baby boomers enter their eighties, so this is an issue with very broad impact.

Polling by DWD, using Newspoll and other polling agencies over the last decade shows that a strong majority of Australians want the choice of medical help to end their lives if they are in extreme suffering for which there can be no remedy. In a democracy, the will of the people is supposed to rule. But we seem to be in a political situation where vocal minorities threatening retribution decide what laws we will get. 

All the outrageous claims by the opponents of voluntary euthanasia – of increased involuntary deaths and discrimination against the socially disadvantaged – are disproved by experience in Holland, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and some US States. Australia’s history as a leader in social policy is long gone, but we can catch up. 

Any State Health Minister who ducks this issue is saying, in effect, “I know that we are leaving thousands of people to lingering painful deaths but that is preferable to me being attacked by extremist religious lobby groups.”

In Australia it is now legal to commit suicide, including by starving yourself to death over a week or more in a hospital bed. It is legal to refuse medication in order to shorten your life. But it is illegal to obtain assistance to die a quick and peaceful death in preference to taking these distressing legal options. 

In the next 12 to 18 months the South Australian and Tasmanian Parliaments are going to consider legislation providing the right to die in certain circumstances.  NSW Greens MP, Cate Faehrmann, is developing a bill to introduce into the Legislative Council.  All States should provide what Australian citizens want. 

The various Advance Care Directives that are available could then include the option of assisted death. The ACDs should also be registered with a Commonwealth body such as the Australian Organ Donation Register to ensure doctors have easy access to them. Completing an ACD should be made mandatory on entering a nursing home. 

The aged care industry should support such moves on behalf of their clients and staff. Ending pointless suffering is in everyone’s interest.

More information is available at www.dwdnsw.org.au

*Syd Hickman is a government relations consultant and speechwriter; and campaigner for Dying With Dignity NSW. 

Australian Ageing Agenda publishes op-eds from time to time on a discretionary basis.  The views expressed in this opinion piece are the views of the author and should not be seen as representing the views of the publishers or staff of Australian Ageing Agenda

Tags: dying-with-dignity, end of life, op-ed, syd-hickman, voluntary-euthanasia,

4 thoughts on “Opinion: Missing piece in end-of-life planning

  1. This is a great topic for the area of clinical leadership in nursing homes, and for the learning and development of the Registered nurses that lead teams through palliative care processes. There is much confusion still in the differences between living through a palliative approach and the eventual End of life pathway.
    Nurses need to skill themselves with the evidence based information and empower themselves their teams and their clients to be confident in patient education and applying the right approach to meet the individuals needs.
    Aged care is a specialty nursing area and this topic alone underpins the specific skills needed for people who are currently suffering in their last days.

  2. Iam not a religious lobbyist , I am a realist and a health professional.
    There is no place in my view for health professionals to deliberately end lives. We should not force treatment on people who do not want it. We should provide palliative care and thus the best pain relief available. This is very different to hastening death coswe think it is a good idea. There are many reasons such as unethical health professionals and families, the example we set for younger folk that if the pain is rough kill yourself and the burden we put on older people to get out of the way.
    If people want to kill themselves then let them do it but do make health professionals accomplices
    More importantly do not assume you can judge the quality of life another experiences. Why are we so obsessed with making everything easy? In my experience I have learned way more from the tough times than the easy and we can better connect with others who may be ‘suffering perhaps those pushing euthanasia fear their own deaths and need to work through why?
    P

  3. Rhonda, I am not pushing death as you called it. I am saying everyone who is terminally ill should have a choice about how they die. That is why it is called Voluntary Euthanasia.
    Some may very well choose to linger for months and that is fine with me. They have that choice. All I ask is that others have a choice too.
    Suicide is not illegal but those who are dying often don’t have the physical strength or means to do it.
    We need laws so people willing to assist another terminally ill person who has requested help is not procescuted.
    Many patients if given the means will be able to do it for themselves. In fact many do commit suicide but their options can be horrific for example jumping in front of a train, jumping from a bridge or tall building or hanging themselves.
    Surely in 2012 people dying with a terminal illness deserve better. They deserve a choice. Now we know your choice and you will be able to have your wishes carried out. Please let others have their wish carried out.

  4. Jessie has expressed the situation in a nutshell. It is all about choice. Choice for those who want to continue down the palliative care route should their illness be terminal and choice for those who do not want to prolong the exercise and become dependant on others and feel the situation to be extremely undignified. With the current situation I’d rather die like a dog as they are not allowed to suffer.

Leave a Reply