An overview of voluntary assisted dying

Voluntary assisted dying is one of several choices that a person may have at the end of their life. It’s important you talk to your doctor about all the options available to you.

Voluntary assisted dying is about choice. It gives people who meet eligibility criteria and who are suffering and already dying the option to ask for medical help to end their life. It won’t be for everyone.

Voluntary assisted dying is voluntary. The law respects the rights of healthcare workers to not provide voluntary assisted dying, while making sure people wanting to access it can do so.

Voluntary assisted dying is not emergency healthcare. People may take weeks or months to work their way through the process and make the final decision to administer the substance.

People can stop the voluntary assisted dying process at any point, for any reason. People who are assessed as eligible for voluntary assisted dying may never choose to use it. Sometimes having the substance is comforting in itself.