Terminally ill patients in NSW can now choose to end their lives with dignity after a Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill passed through NSW Parliament - and Tahmoor's Kathleen Whelan is a satisfied woman.
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The retired nurse and passionate voluntary assisted dying campaigner said she was "so excited" to learn the lower and upper houses of parliament had finally passed the Bill on Thursday, after it was tabled last year.
"I'm ecstatic, that's my overall feeling," she said.
"I know now that eventually there will be an out for people living with terminal illness if they need it.
"They don't have to use it, but at least they know it's there as a fail-safe."
Ms Whelan began her advocacy journey after watching her beloved sister Denise Wilson have to die in an agony she believes could have been prevented.
She said she was so thankful to Independent MP Alex Greenwich, who introduced the Bill to parliament in 2021. Both Labor and the Coalition allowed their members to cast a conscience vote.
The bill allows adults with a terminal diagnosis and up to six months to live to voluntarily end their life with assistance, based on the approval of two independent doctors.
Ms Whelan said she was nervous the Bill wouldn't pass and NSW would remain the only Australian state without voluntary assisted dying laws.
"I thought it wouldn't pass and they'd throw the towel in, but I'm so grateful for Alex Greenwich," she said.
"People tried to stop this bill, they did all the filibustering, and it still went through.
"I'm so happy because I think now no one else will ever have to go through what Denise went through if they don't wish too, and that gives me so much relief that that doesn't have to happen anymore."
Ms Whelan said friends and neighbours were all rejoicing at the news. She said this was a great sign of democracy in action.
"There was all that campaigning from everyone and it's really great to see that people have the power sometimes to get things changed," she said.
"It can be easy to feel that governments are not really representing you a lot of the time, and to feel really powerless, but now I know if we want something changed and lobby hard enough, it can happen.
"It's a lot of hard work, but we got there."
Dying with Dignity NSW President Penny Hackett said it was a historic moment for people who had campaigned for decades to stop terminally ill people enduring prolonged suffering.
"We will now be the last state in the country to achieve this well overdue law reform," Ms Hackett said.
"This Bill will give an immense sense of hope and relief to many people with a terminal illness who simply want to take back some control at the end of their life.
"All people want, is to know that, if they have a terminal illness that will cause prolonged suffering at the end of their life, they will have the option to die a peaceful death."
