11 Aug 2016

Voluntary euthanasia petition hearings to start

7:19 pm on 11 August 2016

Submissions on a petition about a person's right to end their life will go before Parliament's health committee this month.

The petition from former Labour MP Maryan Street asked that Parliament investigate public attitudes towards the introduction of legislation allowing medically-assisted dying in the event of a terminal illness or an irreversible condition which makes life unbearable.

Health committee chair Simon O'Connor said the committee received 21,435 written submissions on the petition, and more than 1800 people were hoping to speak to the committee.

"The range of submissions, from what I have seen so far, is really broad. The committee will be taking all of that into it and making recommendations accordingly."

He said hearings would be held across the country before recommendations to Parliament.

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