Australia province sees spike in assisted suicides

The number of people who died through assisted suicide in Queensland, Australia, rose by more than 35% in one year, according to a new report.

The Queensland Voluntary Assisted Dying Review Board Annual Report, released earlier this week, found a total of 1,072 people ended their lives through the program from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025. 

This compares to 793 deaths in the previous year from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024 – a 35.18% year-over-year increase. 

The total number of people who have died in Queensland through assisted suicide since the program began in early 2023 exceeds 2,100. 

The report also found 25.9% of people who applied for assisted suicide were not receiving palliative care at the time of their first assessment. Only 6% of applicants had a neurological condition, despite arguments from supporters of the law that it was necessary for patients with such illnesses. 

The release of the report comes as concerns grow about the safeguards in Queensland’s law. 

Last month, law enforcement charged a man from the Gold Coast with illegally supplying lethal drugs to a quadriplegic who had not qualified for assisted suicide under the law.  

Police allege Brett Daniel Taylor, 53, and two accomplices used a charity as a front to obtain pentobarbital, a drug used in veterinary euthanasia, and gave it to vulnerable people in exchange for thousands of dollars. Authorities are investigating as many as 20 deaths linked to the scheme. 

Another case occurred in 2024 at the Voluntary Assisted Dying unit at Gold Coast University Hospital. A woman ended her life with lethal drugs while drinking alcohol with her partner and a health worker. 

The man then allegedly consumed some of her lethal medication and nearly died before being revived with Naloxone. The case is under review by Queensland Health. 

The debate over assisted suicide is continuing in the United Kingdom, where Parliament is considering a bill on the issue. 

While a majority of Members of Parliament supported the measure at Second Reading, the House of Lords voted last month to delay its progress and established a select committee to study it further. 

“It is tragic to read of the large increase in the number of people in Queensland ending their lives by assisted suicide or euthanasia,” Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for Right To Life UK, said in a statement. “This huge increase should serve as a stark warning to the UK about the realities of legalizing assisted suicide.”