The AMA's updated Position Statement on Voluntary Assisted Dying was passed by Federal Council last month.
The AMA recently launched its updated Position Statement on Voluntary Assisted Dying 2025 . The updated statement reflects the current legislative environment where voluntary assisted dying (VAD) is now legally available in all Australian states and will be legally available in the ACT later this year. The position statement has been revised to protect doctors and patients who choose to participate, or choose not to participate, in VAD services.
It includes several new sections which:
- advocate that legislation should not prohibit the use of telehealth to provide VAD services
- addresses a range of issues related to the VAD workforce including the need for appropriate education, training and resourcing, support and remuneration to enhance accessibility to VAD services throughout Australia (where legal)
- emphasise the importance of investing in data collection, quality improvement activities and research to identify barriers to care, improve quality, safety and provision of VAD services, understand the impacts of VAD in the community and inform social policy and medical practice.
Importantly, the position statement maintains the AMA's strong support for palliative care, advocating that governments must appropriately fund and resource palliative care throughout Australia.
The review of the position statement included consultation with AMA state and territory offices, federal AMA policy committees and members. In addition, Palliative Care Australia provided valuable input into an early draft of the position statement which greatly assisted in the development of the member consultation draft.
We have endeavoured to ensure the position statement supports all members, regardless of their views on VAD. AMA members were invited to provide feedback on a draft revision of the statement in August 2024. We received 276 member responses to the draft statement and would like to thank all those who participated. While members expressed a range of opinions, it was made clear that an updated AMA statement must support doctors and patients who choose to participate, and those who choose not to participate in VAD, where legally available in Australia. The major issues arising from the member consultation included the need to ensure:
- doctors with conscientious objection to VAD are not mandated to provide VAD services
- doctors who choose to provide VAD services are appropriately trained, supported and remunerated
- funding and resourcing of palliative care is not compromised by funding and resourcing of VAD services
