Should Prisoners Have Access to Voluntary Assisted Dying?

Should Prisoners Be Allowed to Access Voluntary Assisted Dying Measures?

The question of whether prisoners should have access to voluntary assisted dying (VAD) measures has been brought to the forefront as an elderly, terminally ill bank robber, Kym Parsons, received his jail sentence this week. The Australian media anticipated public outrage but, interestingly, the reaction has been quite subdued. This leads us to explore the ethical, moral, and legal dilemmas surrounding this issue.

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The Case of Kym Parsons

Kym Parsons, a 73-year-old bank robber dubbed the ‘Bicycle Bandit,’ committed 11 bank robberies in South Australia from 2004 to 2014. Using a pushbike to flee the scenes, he managed to evade capture for years until his arrest in October 2023. Despite initially pleading not guilty, he admitted to his crimes on June 17, 2024. Parsons, who was suffering from terminal cancer that had spread to his bones and brain, had been granted permission for VAD prior to his guilty plea and sentencing. Two days after being sentenced to 35 years in prison, he died using VAD procedures, surrounded by his family.

Thoughts on the Case

Parsons only had weeks to live, making the issue not about evading prison time but rather about his right to a dignified death. Victims of his crimes are understandably upset that he won't serve his sentence, but even without VAD, he would have only lasted a short time in the prison’s medical wing.

Another Case: Malcolm Day

In June 2022, Malcolm Day, an 80-year-old former music teacher, was sentenced to 20 years for abusing two students in the 1980s. After a year in prison, Day was diagnosed with terminal cancer and became the first Australian prisoner to be granted a VAD permit in August 2023. While his crimes were heinous, it’s worth considering the costs associated with keeping terminally ill prisoners and whether those resources could be better spent elsewhere.

The Bigger Question

The real issue is not about whether prisoners should have access to VAD—they still need to meet the same eligibility criteria as anyone else. The broader question is why it takes so long for these criminals to be apprehended and prosecuted. The media prefers to frame VAD as controversial rather than addressing systemic failures in law enforcement and the judicial system.

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Final Thoughts

A country’s humanity and ethics can be judged by how it treats its prisoners. Denying VAD to terminally ill prisoners out of a sense of revenge diminishes our moral standing. Therefore, I believe, along with many others in the death field, that terminally ill prisoners should have the same access to VAD as the general public. Withholding this option only lowers our ethical standards.

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