Man rejected for assisted dying takes his own life, sparks law review
Howard Patrick was rejected for assisted dying, took his own life, and emailed officials calling for law change.
Howard Patrick lived with three separate conditions causing constant, intolerable pain. Patrick applied twice for voluntary assisted dying under ACT law but was rejected both times.
The reason: his conditions were not expected to cause death soon, though his pain was intense. Patrick appealed to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal and was turned down.
On September 14, Patrick took his own life and timed an email to arrive 12 hours after his death. He pleaded for law change to spare others his suffering.
He wrote to the Human Rights Commissioner, Health Minister and Chief Minister. Patrick suggested a simple fix: change the law from requiring conditions be "advanced, progressive and expected to cause death" to "advanced, progressive or expected to cause death".
His family is now calling for reform. The ACT government proposed a citizens' jury on VAD access for people losing decision-making capacity after approval.
- 82 years old
- Age
- Three painful conditions
- Separate conditions
- September 14
- Date of death
- Six hours per night with temazepam
- Sleep relief
Why it mattersThe case highlights a gap in the VAD law: people in severe pain but not dying soon are excluded, raising questions about how legislators balance access to dying with dying dignity.
AustraliaThe ACT's VAD law, introduced a year ago, now faces its first major policy pressure after Patrick's death. His family's call for change may influence how other Australian states write their own VAD laws.
