Arabic version: النداء الأخير لروز هيرفي من أجل المساعدة الطوعية على الموت

According to ABC News, Adelaide-based dancer and artistic director Roz Hervey used her final hours to advocate for voluntary assisted dying after living with motor neurone disease. Her daughter, actor Tilda Cobham-Hervey, recorded a video message that Hervey described as her last wish.

Hervey, 58, was diagnosed with MND in 2022 and had been given two years to live. Her family said having the option of voluntary assisted dying gave her a sense of control and helped her focus on finding joy in the time she had left. They travelled, held regular Sunday afternoon tea parties and spoke openly about death.

Hervey’s advocacy focused on awareness of voluntary assisted dying and on concerns about requirements for access. For people with MND, medical practitioners must confirm death is expected within 12 months before a permit can be granted. Dr Peter Allcroft, an MND and palliative care specialist who treated Hervey, said the legislation had tight boundaries intended to protect patients and healthcare professionals.

Voluntary assisted dying is legal in every Australian state and territory except the Northern Territory, where legislation is in its final stages of implementation. A study by advocacy group Go Gentle found only one in three Australians knew it was an option for people with a terminal illness.

Before receiving approval for voluntary assisted dying, Hervey registered with Dignitas, an assisted dying program in Switzerland, because she feared the progressing disease could remove her independence before she met the medical requirements. A test showing her lungs were beginning to lose function later led to approval. She spent her final day with family at a vineyard in McLaren Vale, where she made her final recorded appeal.