Legal concerns stopped Vic assisted death

The family of a Victorian man dying of cancer say legal and ethical issues were some of the reasons they couldn't help their dad die.

Legal and ethical concerns stopped the family of a dying Victorian man from helping him die without pain.

Tara Szafraniec said her dad, Ray Godbold, was a palliative care nurse and voluntary euthanasia campaigner who died a painful death from cancer.

He had got hold of illegal drug Nembutal, but didn't use it when he died.

"Intellectually we could rationalise and have lots of conversations about his death but it's very hard to take your own (life)," Ms Szafraniec told reporters on Thursday.

A cross-party group of MPs have recommended that Victoria introduce limited voluntary euthanasia in cases where people face a painful death from a terminal illness.

Ms Szafraniec said her father did ask for the Nembutal at one stage.

"But he was in such a distressed state at that point. We just couldn't have given it to him because we didn't know what would happen," she said.

Ms Szafraniec said her dad was concerned about the legal ramifications for his family if they administered an illegal drug.

"That was one of the things that weighed on his mind the most," she said.

Ms Szafraniec welcomed a push for new laws around voluntary euthanasia.

The committee's report - tabled in parliament on Thursday - says adults with incurable and insufferable terminal diseases should be allowed to request assisted dying.

It suggests the Crimes Act be changed to allow doctors to prescribe drugs to help patients end their lives.

The report also calls for better palliative care and end-of-life treatment.


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Source: AAP


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