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Wednesday, December 25, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Poll shows strong support for voluntary assisted dying

A NEW poll reveals overwhelming support for voluntary assisted dying as the debate to restore territory rights gets underway in the Senate today (Seprember 5).

ACT Labor backbencher Alicia Payne introduced the Territory Rights Bill to parliament last month. Photo: Facebook.

The research from the Australia Institute which surveyed 1005 Australian found 78 per cent supported the legalisation of euthanasia. Ten per cent opposed and 12 per cent said they were unsure.

The research also surveyed respondents on their religious affiliation, finding that 75 per cent of catholics supported voluntary assisted dying. Just 13 per cent disagreed.

Over four in five (83 per cent) of Anglican respondents supported the procedure and three in five (61 per cent) of other Christian respondents agreed.

Eighty-five per cent of non-religious Australians say voluntary assisted dying should be legal, compared to just one in twenty who say it should be against the law.

The polling comes as the Restoring Territory Rights Bill 2022 enters the federal parliament’s upper house today.

If passed, the legislation would allow the ACT and the Northern Territory to make their own laws in regards to voluntary assisted dying.

ACT Labor backbencher Alicia Payne and NT Labor backbencher Luke Gosling introduced the Bill to Federal Parliament last month, saying that the current arrangement makes residents of the ACT and NT “second-class citizens.”

Despite the ACT and NT being prevented from making their own euthanasia laws, every other jurisdiction in Australia has passed their own legislation that allows adults to decide to end their lives.

Read the full report here.

Territory rights Bill passes lower house

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