Australian Lawmakers to Vote on Bill to Assist people to Die

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Australian lawmakers in the state of Victoria will debate a bill to allow medically assisted dying, a highly controversial issue fraught with arguments over who, if anyone, should be able to decide the timing of his or her own death.

Victoria's lower house of parliament passed legislation October 20 that would allow what the bill calls "voluntary assisted dying." The 47-37 vote came after contentious debate that lasted more than 24 hours.

Once the bill was passed, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters he was "very proud" of the vote.

"We have taken a very big step towards giving many, many Victorians the dignity and compassion they have been denied for far too long," Andrews said.

The vote in the upper house, the 40-member Legislative Council, is also expected to be close. Australian reports said 19 members of the upper house supported the bill, 11 were thought to oppose it, and the votes of the remaining 10 were uncertain.