回顧與展望——澳洲自願協助死亡（VAD）立法沿革與未來法律改革【全球瞭望】 試閱
Looking Back to Look Forward—The History of VAD Laws in Australia and Future LawReform in the Australian Territories
在澳洲，自殺或嘗試自殺早已被除罪化，但協助、勸說或煽動他人自殺仍屬刑事犯罪。反觀在近年，澳洲全部的6州及自治區都已在特定情況下引入了允許協助死亡的法律。本文將追溯澳洲自願協助死亡近年的法律沿革，探討1995年在北領地引入全球首部協助死亡法案，以及聯邦政府於1997年剝奪了各領地在協助死亡立法方面的權力，從而使該法案失效。本文將進一步考究從1993年至2017年間，在澳洲各司法管轄區內，意圖實現法律改革卻未能通過的57項法案，並嘗試找出導致這些法案持續失敗的原因。本文並隨後簡述在短短5年間，澳洲6個州迅速引入並將自願協助死亡法案除罪化的過程。文章還進一步探討是什麼改變促成了這一法律改革。本文最後將討論澳洲未來法律改革的可能性，這些領地已在2022年12月重新獲得在自願協助死亡議題上立法的管轄權。
Taking one’s own life or attempting to do so has long been decriminalised in Australia. Aiding, counselling, or inciting another person to kill him or herself, however, remains a criminal offence. Yet, all six Australian States have now introduced laws allowing assistance in dying under certain circumstances. This article traces the recent history of Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) laws in Australia. It examines the introduction of the world’s first assisted dying legislation in the Northern Territory in 1995 followed by the Federal Government’s 1997 deprivation of the Territories’ power to legislate on assisted dying invalidating said law. It further considers the fifty-seven failed Bills attempting to achieve law reform in this context in Australian jurisdictions between 1993 and 2017 with a view to identifying what factors may have contributed to the continuing lack of success. This article then outlines the rapid introduction of VAD laws in all six Australian States decriminalizing VAD over the span of only 5 years. It ponders what may have changed to bring about this law reform. This article closes by contemplating potential future law reform in the Australian Territories, which have been reinstated with jurisdiction to legislate on VAD in December 2022.
084-120
