By Paul Russell: After acknowledging during the recent Western Australian election campaign that he supported euthanasia, now WA Premier Mark McGowan, as he did before the previous election in 2013, said recently that any such bill would be a private member's bill and not a government bill. In March, 'Health Minister Roger Cook said he supported voluntary euthanasia. He indicated the Government would not introduce legislation but would support individual MPs' bids to introduce a private member's Bill' says the West Australian. Cook confirmed this position more recently also. Continue reading

by Paul Russell: A draft assisted suicide and euthanasia bill is currently being circulated for comment and consultation in New South Wales. The consultation is being conducted by the 'NSW Parliamentary Working Group on Assisted Dying'. Although this sounds rather official, essentially the members of this group are simply a common interest group of MPs within the parliament.Not only is this 'working group' not an official organ of the parliament, but the consultation itself holds no official status either. You've probably guessed; the members who will oversee the consultation are also the members of the working group! Continue reading

  By Paul Russell: Anyone looking at the experience in Canada since euthanasia and assisted suicide laws came into force last year, should be struck by the moves to extend the law so soon after they had been passed. After all, when you look to Belgium and Holland and even Oregon USA, the moves to expand their laws and/or the application of their laws has taken some time to develop. Continue reading

By Paul Russell: I wrote recently about the suicide death of 27 year old Canadian Adam Maier-Clayton. Maier-Clayton had significant psychological difficulties and was pushing for the inclusion of psychological complaints within the ambit of Canada's death laws.He was unsuccessful. His condition has recently been described as a somatoform disorder which, in some circumstances 'the patient's psychological problems may be much more complex and their physical symptoms become severe, disabling and long-lasting'. He died a suicide death earlier in April. Continue reading

By Paul Russell: Public challenges to the zeitgeist on euthanasia are rare in the Netherlands. The practice of deliberately killing patients in Holland has a long history reaching back more than thirty years. The Dutch, like their Belgian neighbours, have grown used to the idea. Promotion of the practice through sympathetic propaganda on prime time television and even a euthanasia film festival a few years ago have served the agenda to normalise the practice.This has lead some commentators to suggest that everything is going just fine and dandy in the Low Countries, supposing that the cultural acceptance of euthanasia is a sign that the practice is entirely under control. The lack of political opposition has been cited by the likes of Peter Singer in an attempt to confirm this. This is thinking in a bubble: it ignores the realities that what is legal becomes broadly accepted as being moral and that repeal or reform is incredibly difficult in such circumstances. Continue reading

Alex Schadenberg Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Nicole Ireland with CBC news reported that there have been more than 1324 euthanasia deaths in Canada. The CBC article that promotes euthanasia states:more than 1,300 people in Canada who have died with medical assistance since the option became law. For most of the country, that's been less than a year, as Bill C-14 governing medical assistance in dying passed on June 17, 2016. Quebec legalized medical assistance in dying six months before that, on Dec. 10, 2015. Continue reading

Alex Schadenberg Executive Director - Euthanasia Prevention Coalition The Dutch News reported that the number of reported assisted deaths increased by 10% in 2016 with 6091 reported assisted deaths, representing 4% of all deaths in the Netherlands up from 5561 reported assisted deaths in 2015. There were 5875 euthanasia deaths and 216 assisted suicide deaths.Since 2006, in the Netherlands, there has been a 317% increase in assisted deaths. Continue reading

by Paul Russell: A colourful exchange during ABC TV's panel program Q and A recently on the question of euthanasia and assisted suicide drove home to me the stark reality that what we're really talking about here is a lifestyle choice.We are well used to hearing the hackneyed sloganing around 'choice' that accompanies any discussion these days on this subject. Why wouldn't we all want 'choice' at the end of life? As far as it goes, choices are a good thing; but they don't come without consequences and nor should our society endorse every individual choice about all manner of things. There anarchy lies! Continue reading