An assisted-dying scheme will protect the rights of terminally ill Victorians by creating important regulation, euthanasia advocate Andrew Denton says, but some doctors argue families will use the laws to kill off sick relatives.
Victorian MPs will debate from Tuesday a government bill to legalise assisted dying for terminally ill adults ahead of a conscience vote.
Those for and against the proposal descended on parliament on Monday to publicly plead their cases.
Television personality and Go Gentle founder Andrew Denton says people currently die in painful circumstances that are not regulated, including by starvation and dehydration, drug-induced comas and suicide.
"What is not legal is to end your suffering quickly and painlessly at a time of your choosing with the support of your family and a medical team," he told a Go Gentle event on Monday.
"In this unregulated system no questions are raised about threats to vulnerable people, no one is examining or vouching for doctors' actions and yet we are told this is safer than a system which outlines strict regulations and is held accountable by law.
"It's an argument that defies logic."
Mr Denton was joined by Health Minister Jill Hennessy and the opposition's Edward O'Donohue, who chaired a committee investigating the scheme.
Earlier a group of geriatricians, palliative care specialists, an oncologist and a GP gathered to publicly urge MPs to vote against the scheme.
They warned it was dangerous, penalties could not be enforced, and people could end up killing ill relatives.
"It's not possible (to make a safe scheme) because of coercion, that is a major reason," GP John Daffy told reporters.
"'We're going on holidays, mum's there, what do you think - you don't need to go through this dad'," he added, by way of example.
Geriatrician Associate Professor Mark Yates said laws failed to protect elderly people from financial and emotional abuse, so they would not be protected under an assisted-dying scheme either.
The group again pushed for increased palliative care funding.
