Displaying items by tag: HOPE: no euthanasia

Paul Russell, founder and director of the Australian organisation HOPE: No Euthanasia, gives his opinion of the flawed Victorian 'Assisted Suicide Panel.'   

Not Safe, Never Safe

An expert panel has recently been formed in Victoria at the request of the Premier, Daniel Andrews, tasked with creating 'safe' assisted suicide laws. Even though the earlier Parliamentary Committee on end-of-life issues never actually made a reasoned case for euthanasia and assisted suicide, they still recommended that the government look to create such a law and the Premier accepted their recommendation last December. It must be a little easier from a political perspective to move forward with such a radical agenda as euthanasia and assisted suicide by being able to simply accept and endorse the recommendations of a report - even a report that did not engage once in trying to resolve the push for euthanasia with the case against. Easier still for the Premier and his government to present a bill that will have the 'five star tick of approval' of a panel tasked with making what is inherently dangerous seem safe. The panel charged with this impossible task will hear the views of Victorians, provide the government with an interim report and then proceed to propose a draft bill in July of this year.