Australia news live: number of Australians missing in Nepal increases to 39; voluntary assisted dying now legal nation-wide
The Northern Territory has passed voluntary assisted dying laws, completing the legalization of the practice across all Australian jurisdictions. The legislation includes a controversial 'gag clause' that prevents doctors from initiating end-of-life conversations with patients.
Why it matters
This completes a major legislative shift in Australia regarding medical ethics and patient autonomy, while sparking debate over the role of healthcare providers in end-of-life care.
Voluntary assisted dying laws have been passed in the Northern Territory jurisdiction following debate over a gag clause barring doctors from raising end-of-life options with patients, Australian Associated Press reports.
The rights of the terminally ill bill passed on a conscience vote in the Northern Territory parliament late last night, with the gag intact.
The territory became the first Australian jurisdiction to make voluntary euthanasia legal in 1995, but the laws were overturned in 1997 by the federal government under John Howard.
All six states and the ACT have since passed their own laws allowing it.
The federal veto was only lifted in 2022, restoring the NT’s right to make its own assisted dying laws.
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