Northern Territory's new assisted dying laws 'very weak,' says widow

Carolyn Marriott, whose partner John Bhana died 11 years ago after a prolonged battle with corticobasal degeneration, has voiced strong criticism of the Northern Territory's newly passed voluntary assisted dying (VAD) laws. She described her late partner as a "beautiful man" who was "extremely hardworking," but his final days were marked by immense suffering.

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He was emaciated, he was skeletal; you wouldn't keep an animal alive like that.

"He was emaciated, he was skeletal; you wouldn't keep an animal alive like that," Marriott recounted, her voice filled with the pain of memory. "It's cruel, downright cruel, to see somebody you love in that situation and there's nothing you can do." Marriott, a long-time advocate for VAD in the NT, fears the legislation, passed yesterday, is too weak to provide meaningful relief to those in dire circumstances.

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It's cruel, downright cruel, to see somebody you love in that situation and there's nothing you can do.

The Rights of the Terminally Ill bill, passed by the NT parliament, will make VAD legal in 18 months. However, it includes a strict condition requiring patients to have a prognosis of 12 months or less to live. Additionally, a "gag clause" prevents health professionals from initiating discussions about VAD with patients. Marriott argues these conditions render the law ineffective for many, particularly those like her husband, whose diagnosis and progression were uncertain.

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The 12 months is just ridiculous, doctors are doctors … and certainly with what John had, they hadn't any idea about anything at all.

"The 12 months is just ridiculous, doctors are doctors … and certainly with what John had, they hadn't any idea about anything at all," she stated. She believes the legislation is "very, very weak" without amendments to remove these restrictive clauses. Marriott's partner, John Bhana, suffered from corticobasal degeneration, a rare neurological disease affecting movement and speech, which took years to diagnose and led to his eventual deterioration and death at age 65.

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That's not a life, it's a slow death and that's just not right.