When Roma Britnell talks about euthanasia, she’s not just relying on reports she’s read or stories she’s heard from other people.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The South West Coast MP draws on her 30 years of nursing experience, during which she cared for countless individuals and families grappling with death.
Mrs Britnell has decided it is the right time for her to make it clear she thinks there needs to be legislation around assisted dying.
“We have to protect the protectors,” she said.
“The doctors and nurses need to be able to do their jobs in a way that they are not fearful of being exposed for doing the wrong thing when they are actually trying to do the right thing.”
Mrs Britnell said she faced many difficult situations during her time as a medical professional trying to care for patients as best she could.
She said doctors and nurses often found it difficult to do what was best for the patient within the ambiguities surrounding end-of-life care.
“You’re not really affecting the journey of the life – it’s about getting to the end and dying with dignity,” Mrs Britnell said.
At one point while nursing in a country town, outside the south-west, she worked with a doctor caring for his 30-year-old best friend through the final stages of cancer.
“He was really distressed and wanted to look after his best friend in the best way available,” she said.
Earlier this year, a cross-parliamentary committee released a report that recommended the introduction of legislation around assisted dying for people suffering from serious and incurable illnesses.
Mrs Britnell praised the report.
It has been anticipated that the Andrews government will soon put forward a bill dealing with euthanasia, but Mrs Britnell said she would have to look into the details of proposed changes before offering her support.
She said dying was still a feared subject in western society and people needed to move past that.
“We don’t celebrate dying like some cultures,” Mrs Britnell said.
“Strangely, after thousands of years of progress, it’s an area that we have not matured in like some other cultures have.”
Mrs Britnell said she was happy to speak out about legalising assisted dying even though it was a contentious issue.
“That’s what leadership is about,” she said.
