The VE Bulletin Excerpts
'No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself' Rudyard Kipling
Overturning the Northern Territory Act: 10 years on there is anger
On the 26th March 2007 SAVES issued the following media release:
‘The 27th March 2007 marks the tenth anniversary of the overturning of the world’s first voluntary euthanasia law – the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act (ROTI) in the Northern Territory. Former Northern Territory Chief Minister Marshall Perron, architect of ROTI, asks all members of parliament to reflect on the misery caused by the overturning of that compassionate legislation. Marshall said:
‘In the 10 years since the Territory Act was overturned, well over 100 terminally ill people have been forced to endure a tortuous, lingering death.’
Denied choice for voluntary euthanasia, we also are forced to suffer or forced to suicide in face of unrelievable suffering.
BACKGROUND
Voluntary euthanasia (VE) legislation passed the NT Legislative Assembly on 25th May 1995. The world’s first law gave competent terminally ill adults the right to medical assistance to die in face of severe pain or suffering. Sponsored by a religious lobby, Kevin Andrew’s private members bill to overturn the Territory Act (Euthanasia Laws Act) narrowly passed the Senate on the 25th March 1997. Had an Australian state passed voluntary euthanasia legislation, the Federal Parliament could not have exercised a veto.
The Euthanasia Laws Act also prevents the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Norfolk Island ever passing voluntary euthanasia legislation. During the nine months the territory’s voluntary euthanasia law was in place, four people used its provisions to end their suffering by dying comfortably, quickly, at a time of their choosing in the presence of loved ones. The law’s safeguards and guidelines enabled compassion, transparency, regulation and control.
Medical assistance to die is a legal possibility in the Netherlands, Belgium, Oregon and Switzerland but moral busybodies block legislation here in Australia with fear and smear accusations against these countries.
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