Hobart, Australia, Mar 5, 2021 / 15:01 pm
The Australian island of Tasmania is expected to become the third Australian state to legalize assisted suicide and euthanasia, after a bill passed the lower house of the state's parliament Thursday night.
The law would apply to people over 18 with an advanced, incurable, irreversible condition expected to cause death within six months, and patients can opt out of the decision at any time, the Australian Associated Press reported.
In a 16-6 vote March 4, the bill was passed by the House of Assembly. The governing Liberal Party members were given a conscience vote on the bill. All nine members of the opposition Australian Labor Party voted for the bill, as did both members of the Greens, who are crossbenchers.
Tasmanian lawmakers debated the bill, known as "End of Life Choices," extensively this week. The state's legislature has in the past rejected bills to legalize assisted suicide, most recently in 2013.