Voters heading to the ballot box in Victoria this weekend should be aware that some parties intend to repeal Victoria's landmark assisted suicide legislation, Liberal Democrats Senator David Leyonhjelm has warned.
"The Liberal Democrats are contesting the election and will guard against any attempts to backtrack on the state's right-to-die laws," Senator Leyonhjelm said.
"We've already heard from Tony Abbott that a future Victorian parliament should have the 'moral decency' to repeal the euthanasia law.
"People with a particular religious bent, who feel certain that they would never seek to end their lives on their own terms and believe that everyone else should be just like them, will continue to throw road blocks in the way of any assisted dying legislation."
Writing in today's The Australian Financial Review, Senator Leyonhjelm said the struggle for the legalisation of assisted suicide across the nation will continue to be long and hard.
Although assisted suicide is set to be legal from July 2019 in Victoria, this could change if a new Victorian Government reinstated a ban or stymied the law's implementation.
Even if the Victorian advances are maintained, many terminally ill people will of course be unable to relocate to have their last wishes respected.
"The only realistic approach is to legalise assisted suicide in each jurisdiction," Senator Leyonhjelm said.
The Northern Territory and ACT continue to be prohibited by the Commonwealth from legalising assisted suicide, following the Senate recently voting 36 to 34 against Senator Leyonhjelm's Territory Rights Bill.
The New South Wales parliament voted down assisted suicide legislation last year in the upper house 20 votes to 19.
"The Liberal Democrats will be contesting the next NSW state election for the first time, so the prospects for legalisation in this state in the coming years are strong," Senator Leyonhjelm said.
