Serena Kirby, Denmark Bulletin

It’s been nine months since Voluntary Assisted Dying became legal in WA and since then 56 people have used the legislation to choose their time of death.

Community member and South West MLC Dr Sally Talbot, who was instrumental in getting WA’s VAD law passed in State Parliament, spoke of the process at the Dying To Know forum convened by death doula Kit Bewley.

“It was total torture getting the Bill through the Upper House,” Sally said.

“The moral and ethical nature challenged a lot of people and while the Bill went through at the end of 2019 we still had a lot of work to do in developing the final legislation.

“I was the only non medical doctor on the implementation team and we had to design a robust training course for those who were going to provide the VAD service and have it all in place for the July 1, 2021 start date.

But Sally was able to see the VAD process first-hand and rolled out in time when her friend Susan Cenin’s mother, Shirley Rodda, wanted to end her suffering from terminal cancer.

Susan’s mother was, at the time, only the third person in the State and the first in regional WA, to legally end her life.

In discussing the requirements for VAD Sally explained that the law states that the patient must have the mental capacity to choose this form of death.

“Currently, patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s, and those under age 18, are excluded from the current legislation,” Sally said.

“I don’t know if that will ever change. “But it’s heartening to see significant changes around end of life care.

“The palliative care that we now accept as normal, was not always this way.

“Not that long ago people working in this field were considered mavericks and palliative care was frowned upon because death was considered a medical failure.

“I’m convinced we will see VAD baked into palliative care services as an option because that’s what people want.”

To be able to access the VAD service a person must have a diagnosis stating that they are not expected to live longer than six months.

There also needs to be a minimum of nine days notice from when a person registers for VAD to the day when they wish to die.

Both Sally and Susan also encourage people to put in place an Advanced Health Directive regardless of their current health and to consider their end of life wishes.

“It’s never too early to start the conversation,” Sally said.

“It is a proven fact that 100 per cent of every person who has ever lived has died.”

This article appeared in the Denmark Bulletin, 24 March 2022.