It's not very often that I find myself in agreement with Phillip Nitschke.  We've been on opposite sides of a number of debates both formal and informal in recent months.  But in Launceston he surprised me. In my presentation I described the bill in South Australia sponsored by Steph Key MP pointing out that it was very much a euthanasia free-for-all.  I drew the audience's attention to the fact that the bill did not even put up the pretence of safeguards (so-called).  I invited the three persons in opposition to us (including Nitschke) that night to join me in opposing the bill (if they believed in 'appropriate safeguards' as at least one of the three states on his website).Nitschke responded in very clear terms by saying that the bill in question was a 'decriminalization model' of euthanasia and that he wholeheartedly supported it.  And of course, he's right.  The bill effectively removes from the homicide section of the criminal code direct killing and assisting in suicide if the defendant (doctor or nurse or others assisting) 'believed on reasonable grounds that the person was an adult person of sound mind who was suffering from an illness, injury or other medical condition that irreversibly impaired the person's quality of life so that life had become intolerable to that person (the qualifying illness)'. Continue reading

  The Adelaide Advertiser Continue reading

 In South Australia, where euthanasia bills grow like weeds (or so it seems) the latest of four attempts to legalise the practice in this parliament alone, was dealt a critical blow this week. In a joint letter, the SA branch of the Australian Medical Association and the SA Society condemned the bill in what could only be said to be an unusual, but exceedingly welcome, move.To anyone who has not followed the debate, this might not seem to be news at all.  No-one expects the AMA to think otherwise and it is always possible that senior lawyers might see errors in the drafting or effect of a bill where others might not. Continue reading

In a very welcome move, the SA AMA issued a joint statement with the Law Society of SA making their opposition to the Key euthanasia bill crystal clear and on logically sound grounds.  See the letter: AMA & Law Society letter Sept 12 2011 Continue reading

This post is cross-posted from 'Seeds of Hope' â�� the blog of Disability commentator and activist, Daniel Pask Few crimes are more wicked than those committed against people with disabilities.  We are less likely than others to report being abused or mistreated, for fear of abandonment by people who care for us.  Crimes against us wound our sense of trust particularly deeply, especially if perpetrators are people on whom we have relied not just for help, but survival.  It takes a tremendous effort and genuine courage for a person whose disability affects their communication skills to speak out about what has been done to them.It is, sadly, not surprising in the least to hear allegations that a large number of rape and sexual assault crimes against people with disability have not been investigated in the State of South Australia.  In a recent trial in that State, some charges had to be dropped because the alleged victims were unable to give evidence.  Fresh charges of sexual crimes against other victims have since been laid. Continue reading

  On the 18th of August the Senate debated and passed Senator Brown's .  Originally titled the  Continue reading

  WHEN the headline act in the Nitschke travelling road show's visit to Bendigo is titled, Voluntary euthanasia: Making choices in the context of Alzheimer's and dementia, we need to ask some serious questions about what the real agenda might be and who gets hurt.The following article was written in response to Nitschke's latest round of public meetings.  It appeared in the  Continue reading

  This article appears in the upcoming edition of , August 6, 2011. Continue reading

The   in Vancouver (June 3 - 4) was a tremendous success.  The goals that were set-out before the Symposium were surpassed.  The DVD's of the Symposium will be available in early July for $50 for the complete set.  The Third International Symposium was organized by the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC).I had promised to write up the symposium for our readers, but Alex beat me to itâ�¦ Continue reading

On the 17th of May I was invited by the Sydney University Union to speak at a 'Q & A style' debate on the issue of euthanasia & assisted suicide. With me on the 'no' side was Dr. Andrew Pesce, President of the  who spoke exceptionally well about why the AMA does not support euthanasia & assisted suicide. Continue reading