SHOCK REPORT: New South Wales averages 20 'assisted deaths' weekly

An annual report released in New South Wales (NSW) shows that deaths from 'assisted dying' in the Australian state have soared over the past year.

Key Takeaways:

• The latest annual report from New South Wales shows that the rate of people choosing a euthanasia death has risen considerably over the previous six month time period.

• The report also attempts to redefine "regional" areas, to perhaps detract from the fact that people are choosing euthanasia because they do not have access to adequate health care.

• Euthanasia rates continue to rise across the globe in places that have legalized assisted death.

The Details:

According to The Catholic Weekly, the state's second annual report regarding Voluntary Assistance in Dying (VAD) is the first to cover an entire year's worth of data (July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025) since New South Wales legalized VAD in December 2023.

The numbers within the report are sobering, showing 1,028 VAD deaths in the time period — an average of 20 deaths per week. This is a significant jump from the previous time frame, which registered 398 deaths over a six-month period, averaging 13 deaths per week.

Of the deaths reported, 78 percent were practitioner-administrated (euthanasia deaths), while 22 percent of the patients self-administered the lethal substances (assisted suicide).

Zoom In:

The Catholic Weekly also noted that many of the deaths appear to be in rural areas of NSW, which could point to people choosing VAD because they are unable to access adequate health care. The news outlet pointed out that the annual report goes so far as to redefine "regional NSW" in order to detract from these higher numbers. The outlet explained:

In a table titled Overview of voluntary assisted dying in NSW, the NSW VAD Board reported that 58.5 per cent of deaths occurred in major cities, 34.5 per cent in ‘inner regional’ parts of the state and 7 per cent in ‘outer regional’ areas. A small footnote lists that the definition was sourced from the Australian Statistical Geography Standard. 

However, the NSW Voluntary Assisted Dying Act provides a definition of ‘regional resident’ and when this is used, the regional deaths amount to 67.5 per cent of all deaths, rather than the 41.5 per cent asserted at the front of the report. This statistic is mentioned later in the report, along with a note from the Board that attempts to explain it by saying the demographics were such that older people lived in the regions and so the regions should expect a higher death toll. “While 49.5 per cent of those aged 75 years and over lived in regional NSW (the remaining 50.5 per cent in Greater Sydney),” the report read. 

However, the news outlet reported, VAD deaths were committed equally among those under 75 and those over 75, which raises questions about this explanation. Certain regional areas also reported much higher rates of VAD than did other areas, which should prompt greater investigation.

The Bottom Line:

Internationally, euthanasia deaths continue to rise in nearly every jurisdiction that has legalized assisted death, and New South Wales is no exception. When a certain group of people are told that it is acceptable for them to kill themselves, death quickly becomes pushed on more of the population.