South Australian Voluntary Euthanasia Society
The following is from the SAVES Newsletter, The VE Bulletin, Vol 16 No 2, July 99
Marshall Perron's Address to the SAVES' AGM April 1999
More than 100 attended SAVES' AGM and heard an
inspiring address by Marshall Perron, the initiator in
the Northern Territory of the world's first voluntary
euthanasia legislation. Prior to introducing the
legislation he had studied the case against such
legislation and concluded that for competent termin-
ally ill adults, there is no rational case against
allowing them control over their end-of-life
decisions. And in the four years of turmoil that
followed the short life of the
legislation, and with the benefit of
hearing the arguments against it in
great detail in countless public
forums, he became even more
convinced of this simple truth.
Despite setbacks, voluntary
euthanasia or medically assisted
suicide will eventually become
widely available.
Mr Perron briefly reviewed the
sad cases of the four people who
opted to use the law in the nine
months it was available. Each
was a classic example of the need
for the legislation. And there was
no landslide.
It is absurd that a doctor treating
these patients could have progress-
ively increased medication until
death occurred - taking longer,
weeks, perhaps months, to do so,
with greater suffering and contrary
to the patient's preference - with
no questions asked. Such deaths
occur every day. Yet Bob Dent's
death under the Act was described as "murder",
"immoral" and "an absurd act of cruelty".
Mr Perron presented statistics on suicide among the
elderly in Australia. These suicides are not necessar-
ily as a result of terminal illness, nor do they include
botched attempts leaving the individual in even more
desperate circumstances. But some do turn to taking
their own life in fear of how they might die if they
do not take control. Over the 3 year period 1995-97,
there were 439 suicides of people over the age of 75,
of which 133 used hanging, 95 firearms and 56
poison. The corresponding figures for South
Australia were 35 suicides, 15, 9 and 7. It is
shameful that senior citizens who feel a need to end
their lives should have to resort to such methods.
Dr Brendan Nelson, formerly President of the
Australian Medical Association, has said that there is
no need to legalise voluntary euthanasia because in
those hard cases where the doctor believes terrible
unrelievable suffering exists, then the doctor will
consult the patient and family and if everyone agrees
to keep their mouth shut, then the doctor will end the
patient's life despite it being illegal. Mr Perron said
that position is just not good enough. Voluntary
euthanasia is not about whether the
doctor considers the patient has
suffered enough or waiting until
the suffering is so great that no-
one will complain to the police. It
is about empowering the patient
and protecting the doctor - and
that cannot be done without a
change to the law. The strange
thing is that opponents think there
will be more abuse when
voluntary euthanasia is legal and
therefore carried out openly and
under supervision than when, as at
present, the shroud of secrecy
induced by total prohibition makes
it impossible to detect abuse.
Of particular interest in the
subsequent discussion was why,
with majority public support,
politicians tend to shy away from
the topic and ultimately to vote
against it. It appears that the 75%
who support legalising voluntary
euthanasia do not have the
vehemence of the 15% opposed.
The latter, often with an
underlying religious basis, see the need to protect
traditional values. They oppose what they see as
further evidence of descent into moral decay by
devaluing human life. They do not accept that
human life is afforded greater respect by recognising
responsible personal autonomy than by denying it.
The 75% majority, on the other hand support
legalising voluntary euthanasia without feeling the
need to do battle to ensure it happens.
There is a lesson here for us. We need to convince
our politicians that they will lose more votes than
they gain if they continue to give in to the vocal
minority on this issue.
Bill Mettyear
Further information on these and related issues is available from the SAVES.
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