Western Australian Current Acts Western Australian Current Acts (1) A person
exercising a power or performing a function under this Act must have regard to
the following principles —
(a)
every human life has equal value;
(b) a
person’s autonomy, including autonomy in respect of end of life choices,
should be respected;
(c) a
person has the right to be supported in making informed decisions about the
person’s medical treatment, and should be given, in a manner the person
understands, information about medical treatment options including comfort and
palliative care and treatment;
(d) a
person approaching the end of life should be provided with high quality care
and treatment, including palliative care and treatment, to minimise the
person’s suffering and maximise the person’s quality of life;
(e) a
therapeutic relationship between a person and the person’s health
practitioner should, wherever possible, be supported and maintained;
(f) a
person should be encouraged to openly discuss death and dying, and the
person’s preferences and values regarding their care, treatment and end
of life should be encouraged and promoted;
(g) a
person should be supported in conversations with the person’s health
practitioners, family and carers and community about treatment and care
preferences;
(h) a
person is entitled to genuine choices about the person’s care, treatment
and end of life, irrespective of where the person lives in Western Australia
and having regard to the person’s culture and language;
(i)
a person who is a regional resident is entitled to the
same level of access to voluntary assisted dying as a person who lives in the
metropolitan region;
(j)
there is a need to protect persons who may be subject to abuse or coercion;
(k) all
persons, including health practitioners, have the right to be shown respect
for their culture, religion, beliefs, values and personal characteristics.
(2) In subsection (1),
the reference to a person exercising a power or performing a function under
this Act includes the Tribunal exercising its review jurisdiction in relation
to a decision made under this Act.