Time to Die is essential reading for anyone following the Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) debate in Australia. It brings readers up-to-date with the state of the VAD debate in Australia, with particular focus on the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into End-oflife Choices and the subsequent draft bill to legislate assisted dying.

As in his previous book, A Good Death (2008), Dr Syme draws on his many years counselling dying patients. In some cases, as he has stated on national television, he personally enabled people to die at the time and place of their own choosing.

Time to Die explores the notion of dignity in some detail, and discusses what we mean by ‘existential suffering’. Dr Syme makes a persuasive case that any legislative framework for assisted dying in Australia should cover not only the terminally ill, but also those who are suffering from what he calls ‘advanced incurable illnesses’, such as Motor Neuron Disease. He argues for this in a compelling chapter, which analyses the notion of suffering, with reference to religiously-inspired ideals.

Time to Die by Dr Rodney Syme can be purchased directly from the Dying with Dignity Victoria website – click here for DWDV website – or from other leading online bookstores.