Tag Archives: euthanasia
Originally published in The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 November 2017 By Richard Chye One of the hallmarks of the euthanasia debate so far – in NSW and Victoria – has been the determination of its proponents to depict any opposition as being based purely on religion. So, before I go on, perhaps it would help to make the following clear. I am not religious. I do not follow a …Read More
Originally published in The Spectator Australia, 28 November 2017 By John Buchanan The “voluntary Assisted dying” legislation appears set to pass both lower and upper houses in Victoria. However, let us call it “assisted suicide and euthanasia legislation”, because that is what it is. One of the problems with this whole debate has been with the corruption of language. The aim of language changes has been to try to …Read More
Originally published in The Daily Telegraph, 16 November 2017 By Dr John Obeid OF the many and varied euphemisms employed by advocates of assisted suicide and euthanasia, “assisted dying” is perhaps the most outrageous. Assisting dying patients by providing pain management and emotional and psychological support is exactly what health professionals already do but assisting a dying patient is altogether different from deliberately “assisting” that patient to die by …Read More
Originally published in The New Zealand Herald, 15 December 2017 By Dr Sinead Donnelly In support of his bill that seeks to change the law in New Zealand, David Seymour claims, “It is ok if a doctor intentionally ends your life by giving you too much morphine and claiming that’s a double effect. All that is ok. All that happens without any regulatory safeguards whatsoever.” I am a palliative medicine …Read More
Originally published in The Australian, 20 October 2017 By Michael Gannon The Victorian parliament is in the final stages of debating its Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill. So is the Victorian community, and the Australian community. Events in Spring Street are being watched very closely nationally and internationally, and with good reason. There is a VAD bill before the NSW parliament, and a parliamentary committee on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide has …Read More
Originally published in The Spectator Australia, 7 December 2017 By Robert Clark Last month, Victoria became the only jurisdiction in the world to have voted to legalise euthanasia in 2017. Why and how did such legislation come to be passed in Victoria, despite being rejected everywhere else? Regrettably, what occurred in Victoria has been a stark example of the parliamentary process at its worst. The proposal proceeded from a biased …Read More
Originally published in Stuff, 1 February 2016 Dear Stuff community, As a doctor, I do not support legalising assisted dying. I recognise that people on both sides of this debate have compassion for people who are suffering and want to help them. The main difference in opinion is the way in which we think our society and government should go about that. We all value autonomy/choice, although I would …Read More
Originally published by The Nathaniel Centre, Issue 52 August 2017 Doctors are not necessary for the regulation or practice of euthanasia and assisted suicide Many doctors want no part in euthanasia or assisted suicide, including some who, on a personal level, are not opposed in principle. As stated in “An Open Letter to New Zealanders” signed to date by more than 300 doctors, “Doctors are not necessary in the regulation …Read More
Originally published on The Care Alliance website, 23 November 2017 The legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide in Victoria, by the narrowest of margins, introduces an unsafe and unnecessary practice into the heart of their healthcare practice, says Dr Peter Thirkell, Spokesperson for the Care Alliance. Australian medical organisations have stated on numerous occasions that such laws are inherently unsafe, and in the words of the Australian Medical Association mark …Read More
VIEWPOINT: General Practitioners as Professionals: Why the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners needs to have a Position Statement on Euthanasia. Dr Kevin Fitzsimons FRNZCGP General Practitioners are a large and integral part of the Medical Profession. It is likely that on ethical and other contentious issues, General Practitioners will hold a range of opinions as diverse as any other body of educated men and women throughout society. In a …Read More