Today is an historical day in NSW with people now able to die with dignity with the commencement of the Voluntary Assisted Dying Act, Member for Port Macquarie, Leslie Williams said.

“People with a terminal illness or who are in the final stages of life now for the first time have end of life options for those who meet eligibility criteria.

“I know this is such a significant step for many people across the Port Macquarie electorate and I thank the more than 2,800 people who responded to my community survey in 2021 when the Bill was introduced into the Parliament,” Mrs Williams said.

“I was proud to be one of 27 other MPs from across the political spectrum who co-sponsored the Legislation which was finally passed in May 2022.”

“People considering Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) must be able to retain decision making capacity and have the ability to communicate requests and decisions throughout the entire process,” Mts Williams said.

“There are vigorous safeguards in place to escort you through your end of life journey with the final decision to be determined by the NSW Voluntary Assisted Dying Board.

Local Voluntary Assisted Dying advocate, Janet Cohen said,” I was diagnosed and treated for stage one cancer in 2013, but after two years cancer free it recurred and was diagnosed as terminal in 2015.

“I need the comfort and assurance that VAD provides that I can chose to end my life if my pain and suffering reach unacceptable levels.

“Cancer can create a landscape of loss and it’s so important to be able to be empowered including choice of treatment options and finally a say in how my life will end,” Ms Cohen said.

“I want to die a 'good death' one that doesn't leave those closest to me with indelible memories of an end of life struggle with pain and suffering. I've known from quite early on that I wanted an assisted death and have advocated for this law to be introduced in NSW.

“I can't underestimate how much having this option has allowed me to live without too much anxiety about how the end of life will play out. The option of an assisted death should be seen as one of a suite of end of life services including treatment options and palliative care.

“I hope that the NSW VAD service will also support patients and medical professionals to have healthy conversations about death and dying as part of a patient-centred approach to end of life care.

“For the NSW VAD service to be a success it needs GPs and specialists to get on board, particularly in regional areas where access to VAD trained practitioners can be difficult for terminally ill patients who may have limited ability to travel,” Ms Cohen said.

To find out more details about Voluntary Assisted Dying, please go to: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/voluntary-assisted-dying/Pages/default.aspx.