As recent data reveals the Australian state of Tasmania's significant increase in Voluntary Assisted Dying (VAD) cases since legalization in 2022, lawmakers are conducting a review of the laws as advocates push for more availability.

Key Takeaways:

• Numbers show that VAD deaths in Tasmania have risen 71% since 2022.

• 109 people ended their lives through VAD from 2024-2025.

• An independent review of the law is now occurring, though supporters are pushing for a further removal of "safeguards" surrounding VAD.

The Details:

Since it was first legalized in 2022, demand for VAD in Tasmania has increased 71%. According to reports from the state's Department of Health (which documents October to October), there were 27 deaths in 2022-2023, 62 deaths in 2023-2024, and 109 deaths in 2024-2025. In 2024-2025, VAD accounted for 2.1% of all deaths.

Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition pointed out these numbers may not even account for all assisted suicide deaths, noting, "The Tasmanian reports refer to reported assisted suicide deaths since not all of the participants are accounted for in the data."

According to ABC Australia, the state is now conducting an independent VAD review "to assess if it is still working as intended, and what improvements are needed."

Meg Creely, president of the Tasmania Branch of the Australian Medical Association — which is contributing to the review — indicated her organization's clear support of euthanasia. She said that most VAD practitioners consider it "a really rewarding part of their medical career," but noted that it can be a financial burden on doctors.

"What we hear from our members is that legal access and practical access are not necessarily the same thing," she said. "The way the system's currently set up relies a lot on unpaid overtime of unrecognised work done by the health professionals involved."

Zoom In:

Unsurprisingly, many of those who were supportive of legalizing VAD in the first place are now advocating for a loosening of the "safeguards" initially put in place.

Independent MLC Mike Gaffney, who sponsored the initial bill that led to VAD's legalization in Tasmania, told ABC that initial restrictions were placed on the bill "in order to get the legislation through parliament." Such 'restrictions' he cited include the fact that in order to qualify, a person must be an Australian resident or have lived in the country for at least three years, must have lived in Tasmania for at least one year, and must be at least 18 years of age.

"I think it's time for us to readdress some of those issues," he said.

Additionally, though VAD deaths have skyrocketed in Tasmania (and elsewhere throughout Australia), advocates like Creely are still pushing for a loosening of restrictions to allow approval via telehealth.

Were this to be approved, even more people would undoubtedly die by euthanasia.

"We very much don't want to see the region somebody lives in be a reason that there is a difference in their ability to access care," Creely said.

This is part of a larger national push to allow a person to be approved for euthanasia without ever stepping foot in a doctor's office.

The Bottom Line:

VAD in Tasmania is following an all-too-common trajectory: once legalized, suicide rates rapidly climb, while lawmakers seek to expand the rules to allow even more death.

Though advocates continuously refer to assisted suicide and euthanasia as "care," there is nothing caring about assisting someone in taking their own life.