In a few weeks, the Victorian parliament will consider a law change to permit assisted suicide. Is such a dramatic change in medical ethics necessary? How well have unintended consequences been recognised and thought through?

There have undoubtedly been problems in end-of-life care in the past. A reading of the 1,037 submissions to the recent parliamentary inquiry reveals many cases of a single family death, which has so upset family members that they think assisted suicide is an appropriate option.