‘I was surprised by how uncomfortable I felt’: Portraits of Australia’s VAD doctors
Voluntary assisted dying is now mainstream care in Australia. But its ethics still divide. Six years after it was first legalised in Victoria, here we…
Tag: Death and Dying
What a dying patient’s handshake taught me about life and love
I was working in my oncology ward as usual when I received a call from the ICU to evaluate a patient. The patient was a…
Do doctors really withdraw life support prematurely for patients with brain injuries?
Medicine is about life and death, a fact starkest when doctors advise families to end life support for a loved one. These decisions are routine…
Review board to examine suicides of eight patients who were rejected for VAD
Eight suicides by patients denied access to voluntary assisted dying are being examined by the Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board in Victoria, which could trigger…
Coroner highlights traumatic suicides of patients excluded from VAD scheme
A coroner is calling for a review of voluntary assisted dying laws after an elderly man, who was excluded from the scheme because he was…
When my mother died, I was half a world away with no chance to say goodbye
Unfortunately, there has been a glut of deaths and bereavement in my practice. I suppose, in sympathy, that got me missing my mum. I decided…
The euthanasia of patients with advanced dementia is happening — AusDoc explains how it works
The subject of this photo is a model.The most ethically complex issue at the heart of the debate about euthanasia is dementia. Advocates consider it…
Dr Philip Nitschke rejects claims woman inside his death pod may have been strangled
Dr Philip Nitschke has dismissed claims reportedly made by a Swiss prosecutor that the first woman to die in his death pod showed signs of…
The Willy Wonka of death: Why Dr Philip Nitschke is making an implantable kill switch
Dr Philip Nitschke, the long-time euthanasia campaigner and one-time Aussie GP, was back in international headlines last month. The media’s interest had been stirred by…
What means did the Grim Reaper employ for Australians in 2022?
Death (and taxes) come to us all. But what returns us to our ultimate maker is always a source of interest. This week saw the…
