The VE Bulletin Excerpts
'No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself' Rudyard Kipling
Voluntary Euthanasia Bill 2007 introduced : the next legislative approach
Following the introduction of the Voluntary Euthanasia Bill 2007 into the lower house of state parliament on May 31st by the Hon Dr Bob Such, SAVES issued a media release clarifying its function and role. There are different approaches in advocating choice-in-dying.
Frances Coombe, President of SAVES stated ‘SAVES is a law reform society, working for the legal choice of voluntary euthanasia. Dr Philip Nitschke, Director of Exit International, is working on the development of a peaceful pill and no longer supports the medico-legal approach to voluntary euthanasia.’
Frances said that ‘while people understandably consider self-deliverance in the face of interminable suffering under unjust laws, SAVES mandate is to pursue law reform which will protect and respect everyone's right to choose. We cannot support development of a peaceful pill which has no formal safeguards and effectively sidelines the medical profession and the law.’
‘It must be remembered that the federal government is responsible for both the explosive development and desperate use of self-deliverance devices as it revoked the Northern Territory’s Rights of the Terminally Ill Act in 1997. The state governments are also complicit, as a majority of their members refuse to enact voluntary euthanasia legislation, denying the urgent need for equitable and compassionate law and denying the 80% Australian support for such a law’.
Frances noted that the Voluntary Euthanasia Bill 2007 has strong safeguards and guidelines. ‘It requires 14 steps to be followed before a person could access an assisted death and seven more steps under which the law would be accountable in parliament’. These include having a monitoring committee comprising eight community representatives for oversight and support for the integrity of the legislation. The bill specifies the Objects (objectives) of the Act, to further clarify its purpose. Ms Coombe stated that ‘the Voluntary Euthanasia Bill 2007 respects everyone’s choice, and enables compassion, control, honesty, regulation, transparency, and accountability. In defeating the four voluntary euthanasia bills presented here since 1995, a majority of our members of parliament have effectively imposed suffering on us all.
Don’t let those MPs who are ideologically opposed to voluntary euthanasia legislation tell you how you should die. It should be your legal right to choose’.
See the FLOW CHART VOLUNTARY EUTHANASIA BILL 2007
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