SAVES is not affiliated with Exit International / Dr Philip Nitschke and opposes the public availability of a 'peaceful pill'.

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.