If we thought 2018 was going to be a quiet year then we were mistaken. The issue of voluntary assisted dying is a hot topic across Australia and around the world. There has been a great deal of media and many developments to keep abreast of, some exciting and some worrying.

Our DWD NSW Winter 2018 Newsletter attempts to bring us up-to-date with all this important news. It provides the latest news from NSW, the rest of Australia, plus lots of news from overseas, including the high-profile story of our 104 year old scientist, Professor David Goodall, who made the trip to Switzerland in May to have an assisted death. We hear the personal story of our DWD NSW member who also had an assisted death in Switzerland, plus the answer to some of your question about whether this is a good option for Australians who are suffering and waiting for law reform here.

Whilst Victoria continues to work towards implementing their Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 in 2019, there is a lot of supportive information and personal stories coming from the Parliamentary Inquiries into end-of-life choices underway in Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. Meanwhile, a similar Inquiry in New Zealand has collected 35,000 written submissions!

The US State of Hawaii passed an (Oregon-style) assisted dying law in March with a resounding majority, whilst Portugal and Guernsey UK were not successful in their recent attempts but managed to generate a lot of media and public support.

This newsletter also includes a tribute to Professor Stephen Hawking of England who died in March, and to Professor Brian Owler of NSW who was recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June.

Click to download – DWD NSW Winter 2018 Newsletter