Meeting airs the euthanasia word


News \| Opinion \| Columnists \| Contribute \| Classifieds \| Information

Columnists

Contribute

Information

» Home » Issue 548 » Meeting airs the euthanasia word

Meeting airs the euthanasia word

By Anthony Radford

Campaigner Phillip Nitschke outlines the legal issue

MORE than 80 people attended a public meeting and workshop from controversial voluntary euthanasia campaigner Philip Nitschke at The Capital yesterday.
Mr Nitschke used the meeting to outline the legal issues surrounding assisted suicide, and detailed the practical ways to make it happen.
“If you suicide you don’t break the law,” he said.
“However, to advise, counsel or assist is certainly illegal in all states and territories of Australia.”
Mr Nitschke said it was illegal to even discuss practical issues over the phone.
“Some would say that these meetings are helping people suicide, and maybe we will,” he said.
“Our argument is I am not advising people to do anything. We are providing good information and it is damn hard to get good information.”
Mr Nitschke used a current court case in New South Wales where a wife and her friend have been accused of helping her husband suicide.
“By not organising himself we have a horrible position where these two women are in the fight of their lives,” he said.
“This is a good reason for thinking ahead and looking at the options ... so you don’t find yourself in that situation.”