by Paul Russell: The Australian newspaper ran a frontpage article over the weekend showcasing the concerns of the Insurance Industry over the Voluntary Euthanasia Bill 2016. The bill is to be debated this week in the South Australian House of Assembly.Why would the Insurance Industry be concerned? Continue reading

by Paul Russell: The debate on the Voluntary Euthanasia Bill 2016 is set to draw towards the Second Reading vote this coming Thursday the 20th of October in the House of Assembly.One media outlet called the vote today, suggesting that the bill will fail at this next hurdle. Continue reading

by Paul Russell: The 60 Minutes (Australia) current affair program on Channel Nine aired a short piece on euthanasia last weekend.I was grateful for the 60 Minutes crew for their invitation to be part of the program and for their hospitality and professionalism. Continue reading

By John Moxon I think the aspect of the assisted suicide debate that I find most troubling is the inequity involved - the way people who are not perceived as having a disability but who attempt or even talk about committing suicide are universally encouraged to not end their lives. With calls for all sorts of funding for programs to support people to see that suicide is not the way to go: that there's always a way to resolve your fears and problems that doesn't involve death.Time and again we hear of the devastating effects of suicide on the loved ones who are left behind. Continue reading

Letter by Sam Connor to Victorian and South Australian Members of Parliament. Two years ago, I sat with my mother while she died.She'd been dying a long time. Our family is touched with what we call the 'gypsy curse', the BRCA2 gene mutation which affects about one of every forty individuals with Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. Continue reading

Senior journalist and Editor-at Large for Australia's National Newspaper The Australian kicks back hard against what some of his journalistic colleagues have been positioning as the 'rising-tide' in favour of euthanasia. Writing in The Weekend Australian Kelly's article: Legalise euthanasia and compassionate society dies too is a serious and thorough look at euthanasia in practice in the places where it has been made legal and leads Kelly to the conclusion, as his title suggests, that society is irrevocably damaged by the introduction of the practice of doctors killing people.He opens with an emotive plea: Continue reading

by Paul Russell: The Australian newspaper is clearly going downmarket these days. There was a time when, regardless of the issue, one might expect to see some attempt at balance and research. Not so now if recent puff pieces on euthanasia are anything to go by.The latest article, though accepting pro-euthanasia statements uncritically, at least opens a window on some of the politics in the euthanasia debate. Continue reading

By Paul Russell: The euthanasia debate returned to the public eye in Victoria once again last week with the announcement that up to half of the Victorian Premier's cabinet supports the idea of the government taking on euthanasia (rather than allowing for the possibility of a private members bill).The Premier has apparently opened up the discussion within his cabinet and the suggestion is that he will be lead by a majority decision in that forum. The fairfax press in Melbourne has been in a feeding frenzy over these comments in what looks, for mine, like an old-fashioned wedging ploy. Continue reading

By Paul Russell: On the 9th of June, the Parliamentary Inquiry into 'end-of-life choices' tabled its report. The report included 49 recommendations. The final recommendation was for a euthanasia and assisted suicide law for people 'suffering serious and incurable conditions'.Yesterday (14th September) the Victorian Health Minister, Jill Hennessy, announced that the government would proceed with a bill to create the possibility of legally binding advance care directives in respect to end-of-life care. The Minister was clear that Victorians, under this scheme, will not be allowed to request euthanasia or assisted suicide. Continue reading

by Dr Mary Brooksbank This article first appeared at Palliative Care Australia's website. Dr Brooksbank cuts through some of the myths about palliative care and provides a good point of reflection and a prism with which to view the 'hard case' stories that we find in the media that push towards euthanasia and assisted suicide. As with many an issue, there's always more to the story as Dr Brooksbank explains...I've spent about 40 years looking after people who were dying. I was a burns surgeon for the first half of my career and I have since worked for 20 years in specialist palliative care. Continue reading