Tasmania has massive increase in assisted suicide deaths.

Alex in Tasmania

Tasmania to review assisted suicide law.

Alex Schadenberg
Executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition

Tasmania legalized assisted suicide in 2022, has now announced that it will conduct a review of their assisted suicide law based on concerns related to the massive increase in assisted suicide deaths.

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to speak in Tasmania where I warned about how the assisted suicide deaths would quickly increase once legalized.

The Tasmania assisted suicide reports indicate that the number of assisted suicide approvals, prescriptions and deaths have increased substantially since legalization.  The Tasmania reports are based on October to October. Link to the Tasmania (2022/23 report). Link to the Tasmania (2023/24 report).

Tasmania assisted suicide poison supplied: 2022/23 - 32, 2023/24 - 78, 2024/25 - 142.

Tasmania assisted suicide reported deaths: 2022/23 - 27, 2023/24 - 62, 2024/25 - 109.

You will notice that the data indicates that 2 deaths in 2023-24 were reported late. 

The Tasmanian reports refer to reported assisted suicide deaths since not all of the participants are accounted for in the data.

The rate of reported deaths by assisted suicide was 2.1% of all deaths in 2024/25 which was up from 1.2% of all deaths in 2023/24.

Meg Whitfield reported for the ABC News Australia on August 15, 2026 that:

An independent review into Tasmania's VAD legislation is currently underway to assess if it is still working as intended, and what improvements are needed.

It is being led by three experts — lawyer and former governor Kate Warner, end-of-life law expert Ben White, and palliative care specialist Michael Ashby.

A final report will be handed to the government by November 1.

Comments from the Australian Medical Association President, Meg Creely, provide concerns over the direction of the review. Whitfield reported Creely as stating:

President Meg Creely said that, overwhelmingly, medical practitioners involved with VAD found it "a really rewarding part of their medical career".

However, she said there was an administrative and financial burden on doctors that needed to be addressed.

"What we hear from our members is that legal access and practical access are not necessarily the same thing," Dr Creely said.

Creely seems to be suggesting that doctors who participate in killing their patients often find the act "rewarding" but they want to be paid more.

Canada has never reviewed their euthanasia law.

When Canada legalized euthanasia in 2016, the original law (Bill C-14) required that the law be reviewed beginning in June 2020. That review never happened.

Instead Canada expanded the euthanasia law in March 2021 when it passed Bill C-7. Bill C-7 allowed people who without a terminally condition to be killed, it removed the 10-day waiting period when a person has a terminal condition, it allowed a doctor to kill an incompetent person, when that person was previously approved for euthanasia, and it allowed euthanasia for mental illness alone, which is currently scheduled to go into effect in March 2027.

After passing Bill C-7, the Canadian government established a euthanasia committee composed of 10 members of parliament and 5 Senators. The AMAD committee did not review the law but rather it examines further expansions of the law.

On July 1, 2026, the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition launched a campaign demanding a complete review of Canada's euthanasia (MAiD) law.

Please sign and share the link to our EPC petition (Petition Link)

Now that Tasmania is doing a review of their law, maybe it's time for Canada to review its euthanasia law.