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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Melissa Davey Medical editor and Benita Kolovos

Telehealth consultations for voluntary assisted dying are illegal under Australian law, court finds

elderly woman holding mobile phone
Australia’s federal court has ruled telehealth consultations about voluntary assisted dying are illegal. Photograph: VioNettaStock/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Telehealth consultations about voluntary assisted dying are illegal, the federal court has ruled in a judgment on an aspect of law that has long been considered a grey area.

The ruling means doctors may face criminal charges for conducting such consultations, as sections of the commonwealth criminal code make it an offence to use a carriage service such as a telephone, videoconference call, or email to counsel or incite someone to suicide.

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