Euthanasia debate revived in SA

28 Aug 08:Another attempt will be made to legalise voluntary euthanasia in South Australia. Greens MP Mark Parnell will introduce a private member's bill in the next parliamentary session. There have been four failed attempts since 1995 to legalise voluntary euthanasia. Mr Parnell says, since the last bill was introduced to the Upper House, nine of the 22 members have changed. He is hopeful his bill will be supported. Read more...

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'I'm going to die on Monday at 6.15pm'

28 Aug 08:When Marc Weide's mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she chose euthanasia. Read his shockingly frank diary of her final days. Read here....

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MPs shine in the absence of the party line – Victorian Bill

28 Aug 08: YOUR state MPs have begun confronting some of the big social questions of the ages: euthanasia and abortion. We don't yet know how these issues will be resolved — the smart money is on the effort to introduce euthanasia failing but the move to decriminalise abortion succeeding — but we do know these sort of conscience votes on matters of life and death can bring out the best in our MPs. Read story...

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Debby Purdy - date set for review of assisted suicide

26 Aug 08:A date has been set for a landmark judicial review of the law on assisted suicide, prompted by a Bradford MS sufferer. Debbie Purdy, 45, of Undercliffe, who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis, is asking the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to clarify the law regarding friends or relatives who help a loved one travel to a country where assisted suicide is lawful. The review will take place on Thursday, October 2, and Friday, October 3, at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. Read more...

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California doctors may be required to explain end-of-life rights to patients

26 Aug 08:The state Senate passes a measure that calls on physicians to provide terminal patients with all options at the time of diagnosis. Doctors who diagnose people with terminal illnesses would be required to immediately tell them about the right to refuse or withdraw from life-sustaining treatment under a measure approved Wednesday by state lawmakers. The proposal, which divided the medical community, was narrowly approved on the same day the Legislature passed a bid to ban employers from taking action against workers who legally use marijuana for medical purposes. Read more...

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Victoria: deadly debate we must have

26 Aug 08:The euthanasia Bill being debated in Parliament, while adding to the discussion about death with dignity, does not deserve to be passed. Introduced by Greens MP Colleen Hartland, it lacks at the very least controls that might prevent accidental deaths. The Bill envisages a doctor prescribing a barbiturate so that patients suffering from a terminal illness can take their own lives. Read comment...

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Victorian Bill would allow lethal drinks by prescription

20 Aug 08: Doctors will be able to prescribe lethal drinks for terminally ill Victorians if a controversial Bill passes through State Parliament. Debate will resume tonight on a euthanasia Bill introduced by Upper House Greens MP Colleen Hartland in June. Read more...