While the rest of the country and indeed the rest of the world are putting plans on hold while we battle through the COVID-19 crisis and begin the slow process to recovery – of health, of social interaction and of the economy – those pushing for euthanasia and assisted suicide in Tasmania are pushing full steam ahead. Continue reading

Doctors in the Netherlands will no longer be prosecuted for euthanising patients with advanced dementia in circumstances where the patient has previously provided written consent.  A Dutch Supreme Court’s ruling confirms a lower court’s decision last year that a patient no longer needs to express a current wish to die. Continue reading

Whilst some euthanasia and assisted suicide services have been paused or stopped completely during the COVID-19 pandemic, news from some jurisdictions indicates that euthanasia providers are using this opportunity to get around various ‘safeguards’ when it comes to providing access to euthanasia and assisted suicide. Continue reading

A Perth grandmother who contracted COVID-19 and was marked “do not resuscitate,” contrary to her express wishes, has made a full recovery from the disease. Continue reading

Thirty years ago this year, Jack Kevorkian – the original “Dr Death” – undertook his first public assisted suicide.  In the eight years that followed, Kevorkian “helped” another 130 to take their lives. Continue reading

The Coronavirus pandemic has plunged our world into darkness, with daily news of illness, death, and economic destruction. In the midst of seemingly never-ending bad news stories and alarming statistics, it is the stories of hope and sacrifice that shine ever more brightly. The best of what humans are and can achieve seems magnified when juxtaposed against such darkness. The heroic efforts of doctors, nurses, health professionals and so many other staff working tirelessly around the world is a witness to the sanctity of life, the importance of saving lives, and of using our time, skills and resources to care for the weak and vulnerable in our communities. Continue reading

Before euthanasia and assisted suicide were legalised in Victoria, we saw televised admissions from doctors that they had provided lethal drugs to numerous patients with the intention of causing death. At the time, it begged the question that if doctors did not respect existing laws which prohibited the aiding of suicide, why would anyone think that they would obey restrictions under a legalised euthanasia and assisted suicide scheme? Only someone naïve would think that certain doctors wouldn’t continue to take the law into their own hands. Continue reading

When data over many years of euthanasia practice is collated, a scary picture begins to emerge. Continue reading

The Queensland Parliament’s Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Committee released its report on aged care, end of life and palliative care in Queensland last week.  The report has revealed the enormity of the health challenges facing the state government in the coming years as the population ages. Continue reading

The Queensland Parliament’s Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Committee has released its report on euthanasia and assisted suicide. Continue reading