MEDIA RELEASE
Steph Key, Member for Ashford
For release: 30th March 2011
Euthanasia advocates using arrogance and deception to pursue agenda
It was deceptive and arrogant of euthanasia promoters to be suggesting Labor MP Stephanie Key’s bill is not about euthanasia, the Australian Christian Lobby said today.
“If, as Premier Mike Rann says, the bill is really about palliative care, why is Australia’s best known euthanasia advocate Dr Philip Nitschke stalking Adelaide looking for a site to set up Australia’s first death clinic?” ACL Managing Director Jim Wallace said.
“I don’t think anyone in their right mind would send granny to a ‘palliative care’ clinic run by Dr Nitschke.”
“Euthanasia involves the deliberate killing of a patient using a lethal substance and this bill decriminalises this practice,” Mr Wallace said.
“This is very different from the quite legal and compassionate practice of relieving a patient’s pain even if it does hasten death.
“It is deceptive for proponents to be claiming Ms Key’s private members bill is not about euthanasia. If this claim is true, Dr Nitschke would not be in town.
“Dr Nitschke is on the record as saying he believes ‘the individual has the right to dispose of their life’ including ‘the depressed’ and ‘the troubled teen’.[1],[2]
“He does not like the idea of building safeguards into euthanasia legislation and if he had his way he wouldn’t have a psychiatrist involved at all.[3]
“There is no way politicians can build in safeguards to euthanasia law to stop the vulnerable and the depressed from being killed through subtle coercive pressure.”
Mr Wallace said it was disturbing that Ms Key’s euthanasia bill passed its second reading on the voices without a division.
“South Australians must not be denied the right to see a Hansard record of how their MPs vote on this life and death issue.
“Again this demonstrates how euthanasia proponents are arrogantly pursuing their agenda without the transparency such a grave issue demands,” Mr Wallace said.
South Australia has already rejected euthanasia twice in the past two years and three other Parliaments have also rejected it.
“Euthanasia advocates are trying to bring about their agenda through legislative fatigue and deception and this should be realised by MPs grappling with this issue.
“MPs should reject it as much to deny this attempt to usurp their authority and the rights of those who elected them. The electorates’ view should prevail over Dr Nitschke’s ideology,” Mr Wallace said.
Media Contact: Katherine Spackman on 0408 875 979.
[1] http://old.nationalreview.com/interrogatory/interrogatory060501.shtml
[2] http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/ctee/Transcripts/31%20August%2009%20-%20Hobart%20dwd.pdf, p. 114
[3] http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/ctee/Transcripts/31%20August%2009%20-%20Hobart%20dwd.pdf, p. 112
Phillip Nitschke (I would not dignify his name with the title “Doctor”) stalks the dying like a jackal.
At the riskof repeating myself I see no need to legalize euthanasia. Extreme resusation is not currently used on terminally ill ptients andlegislating toincrease freedom to terminate life leaves us open to abuse of the system. Many depressed people find a new life and enjoy it. Maybe it is a masculine scheme to get rid of women who suffer post natal depression?? or premenstrual tension. I thought we were trying tohelp teens thru difficult years not destroy them. How about funding places to improve qulity of life for ill rather than destroying them?
katherine
Euthanasia is murder: voluntary euthanasia involves suicide and murder. The person who practices killing patients is a hit man.
Why do we twist the English language today: it is great hypocrisy to coin fancy terms to describe bad deeds as good ones.
When we die we go before God to be judged:: our final destination is Heaven or Hell.
I actually can’t believe they’re trying to legalise euthanasia. If anything, we should be investing in ways to prevent situations that lead to euthanasia.
What really got to me is that the doctor (however valid that title is now; primum non nocere), is offering it to the troubled teen or the depressed. Every life is sacred, it’s God’s gift to us. I’m disturbed that people are looking for ways to end it or take it away; may it be voluntary or not; most suicide victims who’ve turned away from it never really regretted it either!