One of the greatest dangers that we face as Australians, now that euthanasia is legalised in Victoria, is making the elderly feel as if they are a burden on society. There is an obsession in our culture with being young, and the older generations can tend to be neglected. The propagation of euthanasia further demeans the value of the lives of elderly Australians. As senator for Tasmania, Helen Polley stated: Continue reading

Advocates for assisted suicide continually cite the importance of individuals having a “choice” to end their lives, but they often overlook the fact that end-of-life decisions are not made in a vacuum. Though there are influences that effect all individuals faced with end-of-life decisions, research is showing that women are especially susceptible to assisted suicide due to multiple factors, otherwise known as “gendered risks.” Continue reading

The Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2017, passed its second reading in the Victorian Legislative Council on 3 November 2017 by a narrow margin of just 2 votes. In the Legislative Assembly the Minister for Health and Attorney General knocked back every proposed amendment, essentially asserting that the Bill, as drafted, is perfect and cannot be usefully improved. Continue reading

This blog was originally posted at: http://www.choiceillusion.org/2017/10/margaret-dore-analysis-opposing.html Margaret Dore Analysis Opposing Victoria Euthanasia Bill  To view this analysis as a pdf, click the following links containing, an index; a memo; and an appendix I.  INTRODUCTION I am an attorney in Washington State USA where assisted suicide is legal.[1] I am also president of Choice is an Illusion, a nonprofit corporation opposed to assisted suicide and euthanasia. Last year, I met with a parliamentary delegation from the Legal and Social Issues Committee, Parliament of Victoria, to discuss Oregon’s law and related issues. Continue reading

The Dutch legalised both euthanasia and assisted suicide in 2002. The data shows an overwhelming preference for euthanasia. In 2015, there were 6672 euthanasia deaths and 150 assisted suicide deaths; the total comprising at least 4.5% of all deaths. In recent years the discussion about ‘life ending actions’ has turned to assisted suicide for ‘completed life’; where a person over a certain age may declare that they wish to end their lives even though they may have no presenting, serious medical issues. Continue reading

By Paul Russell: Anyone who has a grasp at all of the significant problem of Elder Abuse in our community and across the Western World right now and who hasn’t made the connection to euthanasia and assisted suicide simply hasn’t been paying attention. Continue reading

Elder Abuse in Australia - a national legal response   by Paul Russell: Continue reading

by Paul Russell: I wrote recently about a play that ran in Melbourne called 'The Magnolia Tree' and how the notion of being a burden and the genuine fears of anyone approaching decisions about like-changing events like entering a nursing home and the 'elephant-in-the-room' of money and the cost of care can make our elders feel like they are a burden and may put them at risk of Elder Abuse.Putting aside the issue of euthanasia and assisted suicide and the spectre of Elder Abuse for a moment, I am genuinely concerned about the treatment of our elders in Australia and most if not all of the Western World. Aging and the effects of aging make our elders, generally speaking, passive recipients of social policy as well as of the negative tropes that seem to me to be increasing in our media. Once in Australia we had a political movement called 'Grey Power' that gave voice to this increasingly large but otherwise almost voiceless demographic; but Grey Power is no more. Continue reading

by Paul Russell: Euthanasia and assisted suicide is sold to the public as a matter of choice; perhaps the ultimate act of autonomy. We all want choice and we all want to enjoy the experience of a sense of control and self-determination that making our own choices brings.Coercion and pressure are serious concerns with euthanasia & assisted suicide. Is the person's 'choice' genuine, made without pressure or coercion and always with a clear perspective? Continue reading

By Paul Russell: The Courier Mail newspaper reports a 19% increase in elderly Gold Coast residents seeking legal support for Elder Abuse accoprding to figures released by the Community Legal Centres Queensland (CLCQ).The Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast were identified in a Parliamentary Report on Elder Abuse last year as two areas of Queensland that required particular attention because of the rise of Elder Abuse. The report does not speculate on why these areas in particular, but it seems likely that the trend over a number of decades now for people from the southern states in particular moving to these regions in their retirement is likely to present a number of policy problems over coming years - including Elder Abuse. Continue reading