AUSTRALIA
14 March
2007
Voluntary Euthanasia Bill Goes Before SA Parliament
Another Bill to legalise voluntary euthanasia has
gone before the South Australia Parliament. It is the fourth bill
of its kind introduced in the state since 1995.
It was presented by independent MP Bob Such who says it contains
greater legal and clinical safeguards than before.
Mr Such told State Parliament the bill requires two doctors to
certify that medical criteria have been met to allow access to
euthanasia and prevents witnesses to that process from being beneficiaries
of the patient's will.
"The reason I've done that, even though there are many people
who would want a more open definition and request procedure, is
to ensure that we have a law if passed that has very adequate
safeguards, is very tight and cannot be misused," he said.
29 January 2007
Hardline Christians Stopping Euthanasia Reform
The Sydney Morning Herald reported on 29 January
2007:-
Violent end only option for many sick old people
Three elderly people are forced into violent, lonely deaths each
week by the lack of voluntary euthanasia laws, according to the
architect of the Northern Territory's right-to-die legislation.
Marshall Perron, a former chief minister of the Territory, yesterday
blamed hardline Christians for forcing politicians to be out of
step with broad public support for such laws.
His comments come in the wake of the Herald reports on Saturday
about John Elliott, a Sydney doctor who went to Zurich where he
could legally commit suicide. He explained his decision in a statement
shortly before his death: "I have made this trip half way
around the world to try and achieve control in my passing. My
disease has dictated that I will soon die. I will die in pain.
Worst [sic] than this though, I will have no dignity in death."
The Herald has since received hundreds of readers' letters, the
vast majority in favour of voluntary euthanasia and critical of
the paper's editorial against it.
Mr Perron said according to the Bureau of Statistics, three people
aged over 75 committed suicide every week. "Most of them
hang themselves," he said. Others shot or drowned themselves,
used drugs, gas or electricity, or jumped off buildings or in
front of trains. "Most of them die alone because they are
afraid to implicate friends and family."
Not all of them would qualify to die in medically controlled
circumstances under strict voluntary euthanasia legislation, he
says, but many would. He said politicians were terrified of the
religious lobby. However, the 75 per cent of people who supported
voluntary euthanasia did not feel strongly enough to change the
way they vote over it.
Neither the Prime Minister, John Howard, nor the Opposition Leader,
Kevin Rudd, would be drawn on the issue yesterday. A spokesman
for Mr Rudd said: "The Parliament of Australia has voted
on this issue and Mr Rudd respects that vote." The Prime
Minister's spokesman referred to Mr Howard's previous comments
on the issue, and said: "The last time it was before Parliament
it was a free vote."
The Premier, Morris Iemma, said only that he did not support
euthanasia. The NSW Opposition Leader, Peter Debnam, would not
comment.
The Health Minister, Tony Abbott, said he did not expect Dr Elliott's
story to have a strong impact on the convictions of "people
like myself".
"I have to say that death and dying is very personal. It's
incredibly difficult and stressful and I am very slow to judge
people who are in positions like that even if they do things that
I personally would prefer they didn't."
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