Paul Russell is the Director of Hope: Preventing Euthanasia and assisted suicide. In this interview with the ACL's Katherine Spackman he comments on the draft Greens euthanasia bill. There is currently an inquiry into the bill with submissions closing the 21st of August. See Last day to make a submission to euthanasia inquiry for details on how to make a submission

Associate Professor Patrick McArdle is the Campus Dean at the Australian Catholic University in Canberra. In this interview with the ACL's Katherine Spackman he talks about euthanasia since the debate has re-emerged following news reports that euthanasia advocate, Dr Philip Nitschke, supported a 45 year old man's decision to commit suicide despite knowing he was not terminally ill. There is a 5 minute interview here and an extended 9 minute interview below (click the play button).

Mark Brown is the Tasmanian State Director of the Australian Christian Lobby. In this interview with the ACL's Katherine Spackman he discusses the Voluntary Assisted Dying bill which was voted down last week 13 to 11 votes after a 12 hour debate.

Paul Russell is from Hope: preventing euthanasia and assisted suicide. In this interview with the ACL's Katherine Spackman he talks about the private members bill introduced by the Premier and Greens leader to legalise euthanasia in the state.

NSW lawmakers today began debating a bill that would legalise euthanasia and assisted suicide. Introduced by the NSW Greens, the bill is largely based on the Northern Territory’s Rights of the Terminally Ill Act which was overturned by the federal parliament in 1997.



The debate was passionate. A number of (Members of Legislative Council) MLCs were moved to tears as they drew on their own family experiences with pain and suffering. Many MLCs referred to the large number of emails they had received asking them to vote against the bill. Labor MLC Walt Secord explained that while he once supported euthanasia his views had changed after working as a Chief of Staff to the Minister for Ageing.



The Australian Christian Lobby has been calling on people to speak out against the bill. NSW Director David Hutt said legalising euthanasia would put many vulnerable people at risk. “Legalising euthanasia will exacerbate human suffering, not alleviate it,” he said.



“There are no protections in this bill for people who are depressed or disabled as a result of a terminal illness. Depression and terminal illness often go hand-in-hand. Yet depression is treatable.



“Legalising euthanasia would increase the community’s knowledge of suicide techniques. It would also require that doctors be retrained so they can kill their patients.



“Euthanasia distorts the relationship people have with their doctor and health professionals.”



Mr Hutt also spoke to the Political Spot’s Katherine Spackman earlier this week. The interview can be found here.



People wanting to email members of the Legislative Council can do so by visiting www.makeastand.org.au



Debate on the bill is expected to resume on Thursday 23 May 2013.

For many years, parliaments across Australia have repeatedly rejected legalised voluntary euthanasia. South Australia in 2009, 2010 and 2012, and Victoria in 2008, Western Australian 2010.



Despite this, Premier Lara Giddings and Greens MP Nick McKim are behind a new move to introduce euthanasia into the Tasmanian parliament. A discussion paper suggesting an assisted dying model of euthanasia was released on the 3rd February for public comment.



The last time euthanasia was debated in the Tasmanian parliament was in 2009 when Nick McKim's Dying with Dignity Bill was resoundingly rejected 15 votes to 7.



If you are a Tasmanian resident, we encourage you to make a submission to ACL's 'Make a Stand' campaign against the government introducing laws for euthanasia.



You can make a direct submission to Premier Lara Giddings.



Responses should be sent to: GPO Box 123, Hobart, Tasmania 7001 OR



Emailed to: premier@dpac.tas.gov.au



Alternatively, you can send an email with your thoughts to your local parliamentary representative. To find out how and for more resources, visit ACL's 'Make A Stand' campaign page.



A short euthanasia brief by the ACL is also available here or click on the picture above.

Mark Brown is the Tasmanian Director of the Australian Christian Lobby. He spoke to the ACL's Katherine Spackman about the discussion paper released in the state on euthanasia.

MEDIA RELEASE



Monday, February 4th, 2013



The Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) has rejected claims by proponents of voluntary euthanasia that the assisted dying model proposed in a discussion paper released yesterday in Tasmania would be safe.



ACL’s Tasmanian Director Mark Brown said parliaments around Australia have knocked back legalised euthanasia in the last four years because of fears euthanasia could never be made safe for vulnerable, sick and elderly patients.



“The relatively short experience of legalised euthanasia in the Northern Territory found safeguards to be ineffectual,” Mr Brown said. “A report looking into the practical outworking of the legislation stated ‘four of the ‘seven deaths in Darwin’ revealed prominent features of depression, highlighting its strong role in decision-making by those seeking euthanasia. Alarmingly, these patients went untreated by a system preoccupied with meeting the requirements of the Act’s schedules rather than delivering competent medical care to depressed patients’[i],” said Mr Brown.



“According to a Tasmanian Council of Social Services Report (TasCOSS) elder abuse is already a growing social problem affecting an estimated 4,000 elderly Tasmanians every year. With such legislation proposed there is still the possibility of coercion even with doctor assessments and cooling off periods,” Mr Brown said.



“We have no confidence in the proposed model put forward in preventing people being euthanised without their consent – as shown in Belgium after it allowed assisted suicide. A Canadian Medical Association study in 2010 found that 32 per cent of euthanasia deaths in Belgium are carried out without explicit request, even though it is legally required,” Mr Brown said.



“In 2002, Holland passed euthanasia legislation aimed only at those suffering with a terminal illness. Now, however, 20 per cent of doctors in Holland are willing to help a patient who is simply ‘tired of life’



“The Belgian government is now looking at amending its legislation to allow euthanasia of children and Alzheimer’s suffers.



“The compassionate response to suffering is care, not killing. We should be willing to journey with people through their struggles; this should be the value placed on human life in a caring society.



“Premier Lara Giddings and Greens leader Nick McKim should be allocating resources into improving palliative care, not wasting parliamentary time and resources on debates that have already been had,” Mr Brown said.

HOPE: preventing euthanasia and assisted suicide is a coalition of groups and individuals who oppose the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide, and support measures to stop this.



It has recently launched the Declaration of HOPE - a statement to all parliamentarians across Australia that shows it does not accept nor want euthanasia and assisted suicide enabling laws.



You can make a difference! Show your support and make a clear stand against euthanasia bills by signing the declaration today.



Click here to sign the declaration. 



You can learn more about HOPE by visiting their website.



 

MEDIA RELEASE



For release: Tuesday, November 27, 2012



South Australian Labor MLAs should be granted a conscience vote on a bill that proposes to introduce euthanasia by stealth, according to the Australian Christian Lobby.



ACL spokesman Dan Flynn said it had always been Labor’s policy to grant a conscience vote on life issues.



“This bill certainly brings about euthanasia by stealth, despite the SA parliament’s recent rejection of a euthanasia bill,” Mr Flynn said.



This month, the Advanced Care Directive Bill 2012 passed the House of Assembly as Labor-sponsored legislation introduced by Health Minister John Hill.



The bill makes binding any statement in an Advanced Care Directive for the withdrawal or withholding of health care, including nutrition and hydration.



“Given that this bill introduces euthanasia by omission, it should be the subject of a conscience vote before the South Australian Upper House, in accordance with Labor’s express policy on euthanasia votes,” Mr Flynn said.



Paul Russell of HOPE: Preventing Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide has described the proposed legislation as a “euthanasia Trojan horse.”



“Actions or omissions with the intent to kill or the intent that the patient dies are either acts of euthanasia or assisted suicide,” Mr Russell said.



ACL calls for the referral of the legislation to a Committee for public submissions before it is rushed through Parliament.