Western Australians want palliative care improved before considering euthanasia.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

A poll of Western Australian country voters indicated that 73% of those surveyed said that they believe that palliative care should be improved before euthanasia legalislation is introduced.

An article by Nathan Hondros published in the Sydney Morning Herald today reported:

Regional Western Australians want palliative care fixed before the introduction of euthanasia, a poll of almost 2000 voters in the North West and Wheatbelt has revealed.

The research, which was commissioned by a group of doctors, lawyers and health professionals called the End of Life Choices Working Group, has found only one person out of every four believe euthanasia should be legalised before palliative care is improved across the state.

Out of all pro-euthanasia voters, 73 per cent believe palliative care ought to be improved before euthanasia becomes legal.

The polling also revealed 64 per cent of people did not support allowing euthanasia if a person's loved ones had not been notified, a safeguard the WA Palliative Medicine Specialists Group said was missing in the legislation before WA's Parliament.

Dr Anil Tandon

Hondras reported that Dr Anil Tandon, chairman of the WA Palliative Specialists Group stated that good palliative care means that no person needs to suffer as they approached the end of life. Hondras reported:

"Regional Western Australians should be incredibly concerned by the current level of funding directed to palliative care, especially in the context of the debate around assisted suicide," he said.

"WA has the fewest number of palliative care specialists per capita, the lowest number of publicly-funded palliative care beds, and only one-in-three people who could benefit from specialist palliative care has access to the services they need.

"Once people know this, and once they understand how quality palliative care helps people truly make of the most of their remaining time, we begin to see a big shift in attitudes towards euthanasia."

The Western Australian State government recently stated their intention to fast-track the legalization of euthanasia.