A bill that would allow terminally ill people in Victoria to use telehealth to talk to their doctor about voluntary assisted dying has been introduced in the Legislative Council.
Doctors are not permitted to talk to patients about voluntary assisted dying via telehealth based on current federal rules that prohibit people to “incite or counsel” another person to commit suicide through online communication.
The Voluntary Assisted Dying Amendment (Telehealth and Other Matters) Bill 2021 clarifies that doctors who talk to their patients via telehealth about voluntary assisted dying would not be prosecuted.
Source: Minutes of Proceedings No 102, Legislative Council, Parliament of Victoria website, 4 May 2021, accessed 7 May 2021.
