"The Greens have been with the community from the very start on this issues. When I first introduced my Bill for Voluntary Assisted Dying back in 2002, we simply did not have the support of the major parties to get this through Parliament. When I tried again in 2010, I could sense that the tide was turning and community sentiment was shifting, but still that wasn’t quite enough.
"But this year, after an outpouring of community support that could not be ignored, The Greens worked with all sides of politics to set up the foundations of this legislation.
"The Greens have been instrumental in setting the path for getting this Bill off the ground, by serving on the End of Life Choices Committee that spent months gathering evidence, and determining the safest and best way to implement this program for those who choose to access it.
"Today, after decades of work, we have finally managed to pass Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation through the Parliament.
"We know that this legislation will have an immense impact on people in WA suffering from a terminal illness. That’s why we have always supported the right for people to choose a peaceful death, surrounded by their family, if they are facing an incurable disease that will end their life.
"This is a victory for all West Australians. To everyone who has campaigned for so long on this - thank you. To everyone in our community who called, emailed and lobbied politicians - thank you. To the brave souls who shared their personal stories in the hope that they would win hearts and minds - thank you, your efforts have not been in vain.
"For me personally, this is a special day. My mother passed away after a long and painful ordeal with a terminal illness. I made a promise that I would do all that I could to change the law to allow people in pain, like my Mum, to access voluntary assisted dying.
"Today, I can finally say: Mum, we did it."
No comments:
Post a Comment