Last month, after his NDIS funding was abruptly cut, forcing him to leave his assisted living facility, James “Jim” Mills opted to end his life using voluntary assisted dying (VAD) services. His family and friends are now urging the government to offer better palliative care support so that no one else is forced to make this diabolical choice.
The Australian Christian Lobby’s NSW State Director, Joshua Rowe, said, “The NSW ALP Government’s proposed cut to the funding of dignifying end-of-life palliative care ignores the outcry of many families and friends of people like James ‘Jim’ Mills who feel their only option is to opt for assisted suicide. This heartbreaking story comes just weeks after the NSW Government abruptly reallocated $150 million of palliative care funds toward the implementation of VAD laws.
“The prioritisation of funding toward life-ending services as opposed to life-affirming care is an appalling move from the NSW Government.”
Joshua Rowe concluded, “All Australians, at the end of their life, have the right to receive good quality care. For this to happen they must be given the choice to access well-resourced and effective palliative care services”.
ACL urges the NSW Government to hear the grieving hearts of NSW families like James ‘Jim’ Mills, reverse the commitment to the reallocation of funding, and offer better funding for palliative care to spare other families from this heartbreaking experience.
