[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] The New South Wales (NSW) Parliament in Australia has passed a bill allowing euthanasia under certain conditions.
According to overseas media on the 19th (local time), the NSW Upper House passed the bill with 23 votes in favor and 15 against after 12 hours of debate. The bill is scheduled to be implemented within 18 months.
The bill allows Australian citizens or residents aged 18 or older who have the mental capacity to make their own decisions and are facing death or suffering from an incurable disease causing unbearable pain to end their own lives.
Patients applying for euthanasia must be able to make the decision independently without external pressure, and the application undergoes review by two doctors.
Before the bill was passed, politicians, religious groups, and others engaged in intense debates for over five years. With this approval, NSW has become the last of the six Australian states to legalize euthanasia.
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