‘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: Palliative care
Half of doctors would choose VAD if they had cancer and two weeks left to live
More than half of doctors involved in end-of-life care say they would choose voluntary assisted dying if they had cancer and were told they had…
I watched my mother die a slow death: VAD laws need to change
I have just spoken the eulogy for my mother, who died aged 99.333 years of age. She was a tough old bird, having knocked on…
‘Just changing the date on the death certificate’: GP who performs VAD across 20,000 sq km
Dr Marc Heyning remembers one voluntary assisted dying patient who was estranged from his entire family. The patient had end-stage emphysema and initially wanted to…
It’s time to stop dancing around VAD and properly integrate it into end-of-life care
Talking about death with patients is never easy, and the topic of voluntary assisted dying (VAD) adds an extra layer of complexity and sensitivity. VAD…
My message to younger doctors: Step up, not away, as your patients reach their end
Once upon a time, a wiser, older and more silvery fox than I began to dabble in the newly recognised area of palliative care. Previously,…
With VAD safeguards now seen as obstacles by pro-euthanasia doctors, I worry for vulnerable patients
Back in 2017, following a tough and taxing debate, Victoria became the first Australian state to legalise what proponents call voluntary assisted dying (VAD), and…
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…
‘Being an aged care doctor is not about being a saint — the rewards are there in front of you’
GP Dr Fiona Wallace, who trained in the Hebridean islands of Scotland, became disillusioned with her work at an Australian rural ED after seeing so…
PBAC wants ‘critical’ opioid shortage fixed, warning doctors’ care options are being compromised
Pain and palliative care doctors want Federal Government action to stop the “egregious” behaviour of pharmaceutical companies pulling drugs from the market with little warning.…
