澳大利亚工党全国大会通过决议，主张以良心投票方式废除自愿辅助死亡中的远程医疗禁令[1]。现行的《联邦刑法典》禁止在远程通讯中推促、煽动或提供关于"自杀"的指导，该禁令源自2005年针对亲自杀网站的法律[1]。2023年，联邦法院裁定这一法规同样适用于各州新制定的自愿辅助死亡法[1]。
这项禁令对患者造成实际伤害，尤其是农村和地区患者[1]。由于无法通过远程医疗进行咨询，这些患者需要进行长距离旅行[1]。澳大利亚目前是唯一完全禁止远程医疗用于辅助死亡的国家[1]，而美国和加拿大等其他国家已通过法规或临床指南规范了此类服务的使用[1]。
修订立法可以相对简单，仅需从《刑法典》的"自杀"定义中排除"自愿辅助死亡"[1]。这样的修改将使远程医疗在辅助死亡中的应用得到合法化。
Australia's Labor Party has passed a resolution supporting the removal of a prohibition on telehealth in voluntary assisted dying through a conscience vote [1]. The ban stems from provisions in the Federal Criminal Code enacted in 2005 that prohibit promoting, inciting, or providing guidance on "suicide" through remote communication, originally designed to target pro-suicide websites [1]. In 2023, the Federal Court ruled these provisions apply to new state-based voluntary assisted dying laws [1].
Australia currently stands alone as the only country with a complete ban on telehealth for assisted dying [1]. By contrast, jurisdictions including the United States and Canada have implemented regulations or clinical guidelines governing telehealth use in this context [1]. Research demonstrates the prohibition creates significant hardship for rural and regional patients, who must undertake lengthy travel for consultations [1]. Legal reform would require minimal legislative change—simply excluding "voluntary assisted dying" from the criminal code's definition of "suicide" [1].
