澳大利亚北领地议会于周四经良心投票通过自愿协助死亡法案，仅一名议员弃权 1。北领地是澳大利亚最后一个使自愿协助死亡合法化的司法管辖区 1。该法案设有18个月实施期，将于2028年初生效 1。1990年代中期北领地曾通过全球首部自愿协助死亡法律，但1997年被联邦政府推翻，2022年联邦对领地的禁令被解除 1。
根据新法案，申请人须年满18岁，患有晚期、进行性疾病且预期12个月内死亡 1。申请需两名独立医生评估，并由审查委员会监督 1。北领地法律允许患者以书面或视频录像形式提出正式请求 1。
北领地45%的人口生活在农村和偏远地区，该法律对原住民和偏远地区居民作出文化适应性调整 1。法案允许家庭成员或具有文化权威的人参与决策，允许经政府批准的原住民和托雷斯海峡岛民卫生从业人员施用药物 1。此外，要求申请人在北领地居住至少12个月，联邦仍禁止使用远程医疗讨论自愿协助死亡 1。
The Northern Territory parliament passed the voluntary assisted dying legislation on Thursday through a conscience vote, with only one member abstaining 1. This milestone makes the Northern Territory the final Australian jurisdiction to legalise the practice 1. The new law will officially take effect in early 2028, following an 18-month implementation period 1.
Under the newly passed legislation, applicants must be at least 18 years old and diagnosed with an advanced, progressive disease that carries a life expectancy of 12 months or less 1. The approval process requires evaluation by two independent doctors and will be supervised by a review board 1. To accommodate different needs, patients are allowed to make their formal request either in writing or through a video recording 1.
The law introduces specific cultural adaptations for Indigenous populations and remote communities 1. It permits family members or individuals holding cultural authority to be involved in the decision-making process 1. Furthermore, the legislation allows government-approved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners to administer the medication 1.
Despite these adaptations, the law requires applicants to have lived in the Northern Territory for a minimum of 12 months 1. This residency requirement, combined with the federal government's continued prohibition on using telehealth to discuss voluntary assisted dying, has prompted discussions regarding access, especially since 45% of the territory's population resides in rural and remote areas 1.
Historically, the Northern Territory passed the world's first voluntary assisted dying law in the mid-1990s, but it was overturned by the federal government in 1997 1. The territory regained its legislative power over the issue after the federal ban on territories was lifted in 2022 1.
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