The ban on doctors starting discussions around voluntary assisted dying will not stop any Victorian patients from accessing euthanasia, an architect of the scheme says.

There have been calls for the so-called gagging clause in section 8 (see box below) of Victoria’s assisted dying laws to be removed, amid claims it could impede doctor–patient relationships.

The rule, which was included in the state’s assisted dying law when it came into effect last June, was intended to prevent doctors from coercing vulnerable patients to end their lives.

But an article in the Medical Journal of Australia last week branded it an “unwarranted infringement” on communication between doctors and their patients.