South Australian Voluntary Euthanasia Society
The following is from the SAVES Newsletter, The VE Bulletin, Vol 16 No 1, March 99
SAVES - 15 YEARS ON
The 25th November 1998 marked the fifteenth
anniversary of the inaugural meeting in 1983 of the
South Australian Voluntary Euthanasia Society; it is
timely to reflect on the highlights of these years.
SAVES is part of a growing number of international
groups seeking law reform to permit a hastened death
in certain clearly defined circumstances. It has its
own unique history mirroring, in a South Australian
context, the particular issues, successes and
challenges which repeatedly arise around the world.
SAVES has strong links internationally. In
November 1998, our President, Mary Gallnor, was
appointed President of the World Federation of Right
to Die Societies at the World Federation Conference
held in Zurich. We have learnt from and contributed
to international debate but not lost sight of our
primary objective - law reform in South Australia.
There is no one approach to this end. A range of
activities are employed to keep the issue on the
"front burner" locally and raise community
awareness. These efforts are time consuming and
involve a long term commitment. They include
interstate and overseas liaison, political lobbying,
consultations with the AMA and church leaders,
speaking engagements to community groups, as well
as media interviews. There is ongoing dialogue with
the Palliative Care Council and the SA Health
Commission, aimed at promoting the implementation
of SA's "Living Will" legislation, the Consent to
Medical Treatment and Palliative Care Act 1995.
This Act gives statutory authority to the common law
right to refuse medical treatment and to make
advance directives providing instructions for health
care when no longer competent. It also provides
legal protection for doctors operating within the Act.
Other areas of activities involve handling distress
calls, compiling, maintaining and distributing
comprehensive and up-to date information papers and
publishing a newsletter, The VE Bulletin, three times
a year. A site has been established on the Internet
(http//www.on.net/clients/saves/) to present author-
itative information on the VE debate where it may be
readily accessed by students and others. A small
library has been established for the benefit of
members. Coordinating the mobile VE display,
maintaining the library, organising public meetings,
as well as managing the membership database and
financial aspects complete the range of tasks handled.
Community Awareness
Since its inception in 1983 SAVES has been involved
in a wide range of public engagements, both to
increase publicity for the organisation and to
facilitate education of the broader community. A
highlight was the installation of a fourteen panel
professionally designed display at Speakers' Corner,
Old Parliament House, in April/May 1988. The
Society's Patron, Sir Mark Oliphant, launched the
display and information packs were available for
purchase. A mobile version of the display was
subsequently developed, which is regularly in use in
libraries and shopping malls.
In 1986 following a SAVES initiative, the Federation
of Australian VE Societies was established to
improve networking within Australia and New
Zealand. The Federation survived only three years
but fortunately the advent of email communication
has to some extent filled the gap.
Since 1986, SAVES has held regular meetings open
to the public with speakers relevant to voluntary
euthanasia. There have been numerous interviews
with community leaders, talks to community groups,
health care professionals, schools, church groups,
and branches of all major political parties. SAVES
has engaged in talks and debates on TV and Radio,
provided letters to the press and articles for
community organisation publications and professional
journals. We have also provided input into ethics
courses at medical schools, attended book launches,
and distributed car bumper stickers.
A major recent achievement in SAVES publicity is
undoubtedly the establishment of a presence on the
Internet. The society's web pages present the case
for voluntary euthanasia to whoever cares to access
them and offer an alternative access to the
information provided in our student information
packs. The pages include the full set of SAVES one
page Fact Sheets (currently 22 in number) on various
aspects relevant to the VE debate. They can stand
alone or act as a supplement to the SAVES handbook
The Right to Choose. This handbook, now in its
fourth edition, presents the essential features of the
voluntary euthanasia debate including the arguments
for and against, medical and legal aspects and a draft
of the essential features to be included in legislation.
The handbook is also available on the Internet.
Publications
The first VE Bulletin went to print in 1984 reporting
on the passage of the Natural Death Act 1983. Since
that time many SAVES' publications have been
released. In 1984 an Advance Directive was drawn
up in anticipation of future VE legislation. 1987 saw
the publication of the first edition of The Right to
Choose, followed in 1988 by the pamphlet Voluntary
Euthanasia: A Christian Moral Perspective.
The second edition of The Right to Choose was
published in 1990, as were the booklet Voluntary
Euthanasia and the Medical Profession: an Invitation
to Dialogue, and pamphlets Beginning and Ending
with God and the SA Natural Death Act, Hospice and
Voluntary Euthanasia and Patients' Rights. The first
set of Facts Sheets was also published that year.
In 1992 SAVES issued leaflets on Public Opinion
Polls and Medical Aid in Dying, Medical Aid in
Dying in the Netherlands and a response to the SA
Parliament Select Committee Report on Voluntary
Euthanasia under the title None So Blind. The fourth
edition of The Right to Choose appeared in 1998.
Political Activity
SAVES has taken a "pro-active" approach which has
included lobbying politicians. Discussions were held
with the Minister of Health in 1985 on the Natural
Death Act 1983, and in 1996 on the Consent to
Medical Treatment and Palliative Care Act 1995.
SAVES strongly supported John Quirke's private
member's VE Bill in 1995 and sent a submission to
the NT Select Committee in support of Marshall
Perron's VE Bill. We campaigned against Kevin
Andrews' Euthanasia Laws Bill 1996, the passage of
which overturned the NT Rights of the Terminally Ill
Act 1996 and are actively supporting Anne Levy's
Voluntary Euthanasia Bill 1996, currently under
consideration by the Social Development Committee.
International Liaison
SAVES built up an international presence from its
inception, when the then President Jim Richardson
made a trip to the Netherlands to gain insights into
its organisation and strategies in respect of VE.
Since 1990 SAVES delegates have attended each
international conference of the World Federation of
Right to Die Societies, all at no expense to the
membership. These included the 1990 conference in
Maastricht, followed by later conferences in Kyoto
and Bath. The 1996 conference in Melbourne was
attended by the current President, Mary Gallnor,
after her 1994 election to the board of the World
Federation as Vice President. At the 1998
conference, held in Zurich, she was elected President
for the ensuing two years and will be working to
gain international recognition of the Federation.
SAVES Task Force
The Task Force was set up from SAVES committee
members to formulate plans for introducing VE
legislation into SA. It was thus possible to pursue
the primary aim of SAVES - to achieve law reform -
separately from the substantial task of the day to day
running of the society. It had its inaugural meeting
in May 1988 and soon identified the crucial role of
the medical profession in vehemently opposing the
legalising of VE. It drafted a discussion paper on
alternative ways that the law might be changed;
either by statute legislation or by changes to the
common law through precedent set by court
decisions. Self regulation within the medical
profession was seen as crucial.
The Task Force has approached church leaders
willing to become involved for their opinions, and
has offered discussion papers to many organisations
for comment. 1989 saw the publication of an
Enduring Power of Attorney approach based on the
common law and now largely superseded by
provisions in the Consent to Medical Treatment and
Palliative Care Act 1995.
In 1990 a medical member of the Task Force under-
took a local survey of doctors' attitudes and
practices. A substantial submission was also made in
that year to the South Australian Parliamentary Select
Committee on Death and Dying. Since 1993 SAVES
vice-President Eric Gargett has been involved in a
study group examining advance directives with the
Health Commission and the Palliative Care Council.
In 1995 submissions were made to the Select
Committee by three members of the Task Force.
A comprehensive written submission on Anne Levy's
Bill was made in 1997 followed by an oral
presentation to the Social Development Committee in
1998. Three members of the Task Force have
appeared before that Committee.
Are we getting anywhere?
Committee members are sometimes asked whether
we are making progress in achieving law reform.
There has been enormous progress. Fifteen years
ago there was virtually no debate on VE in South
Australia, whereas now it is high on the public
agenda, following no less than two proposals for VE
legislation reaching parliament. Entrenched
opposition, mostly church based and backed with
substantial financial resources, remains to be
overcome. However, the VE movement taps a deep
need of many in the community. It will not go away
until satisfactory legislation is in place.
Julia Anaf
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