Terminally ill mother leads voluntary assisted dying petition
A dying mother is urging Queenslanders to sign a petition calling for a state government inquiry into voluntary assisted dying.
The group Voices for Change has launched the petition with an aim to get an end-of-life bill before Queensland Parliament.
54-year-old Tanya Battel is leading the charge after she was told her 20 year-long battle with breast cancer had turned terminal.
The Brisbane mother-of-two has been a strong supporter of voluntary assisted dying for over 30 years, nursing both of her elderly parents at the end of their lives.
But her push to get voluntary euthanasia on the map has intensified as she faces her own diagnosis.
Tanya tells Alan Jones the state government doesn’t seem to be listening when all they want is for suffering Australians to be given a choice.
“If you know that you’re terminal, you have the right to be able to ask for a medical assisted dying to end, or not prolong, suffering when you know the curtains are about to close and there’s no encore.”
The minister must respond to the parliamentary petition within 30 days, with Tanya and the petition’s organisers aiming to collect 10,000 signatures.
The petition is pushing for an inquiry into “better end of life choices” to be held before October to allow debate and a tabling of a bill in the parliament.
Click PLAY below to hear the full interview with Tanya Battel
Please note:
- You must be a Queensland resident to be able to sign the petition
- Closing date is August 20.