workforce
Voluntary assisted dying: the nurse’s role
As voluntary assisted
dying becomes law in
Victoria, nurses need to
understand their role.
Jenny Newton interviewed
by Megan Tran
V
ictoria will see voluntary assisted dying become law in
June next year, but nurses are still working through what
the change in legislation will mean for them.
At a recent event at Monash Medical Centre, the Australian
College of Nursing (ACN) walked nurses through the legal context
of voluntary assisted dying within the Victorian healthcare system,
and explored the potential implications and related ethical issues
concerning the role of nurses.
32 agedcareinsite.com.au
In an interview with Aged Care Insite, Adjunct Associate
Professor Jenny Newton talked about the themes discussed at the
event and ethical debates that surround the issue.
ACI: What did the ACN event aim to achieve?
JN: The event aimed to raise nurses’ awareness of the fact that
the voluntary assisted dying legislation comes into Act in June
next year, so that’s actually not that far away. I’m very mindful as
a nurse that I particularly wasn’t that familiar with the nuances of
the legislation and how it might impact on my role as a nurse.
So the event was really to raise that awareness, that nurses
needed to start thinking about what might be some of the
implications for themselves in their everyday practice.
What ethical debates arise when we talk about voluntary
assisted dying?
One of the key ethical issues is when you have a conscientious
objection to voluntary assisted dying and yet you might have a
patient or client ask you about their rights under voluntary assisted