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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-02-21 Daily Xml
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ENDING LIFE WITH DIGNITY BILL

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 7 February 2013.)

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (10:50): I rise to support the bill and I would congratulate the member for Fisher on this bill. I also congratulate him on his persistence with regard to bringing bills of this type into this house, particularly on voluntary euthanasia.

My view is that we should see voluntary euthanasia as part of palliative care, and particularly supportive of the practices, as I have learnt in recent times, with regard to end of life arrangements in Belgium. Unfortunately, because all of the arrangements that are in place have different histories, it is very hard to translate what might happen in South Australia to the Belgium model, as has been the case with the Netherlands and different states in America.

Although I support legislation that allows for the choice of voluntary euthanasia being made available, I have always thought that voluntary euthanasia should be part of the whole of end of life arrangements and now what we call, in the main, advance care directives. I hold this view because of my experience with friends and then later on with family and also because, as a member of this house and a justice of the peace, a number of constituents have come and spoken to me not only about voluntary euthanasia—and I have certainly had a number of those conversations—but also about trying to get support and certification for the different arrangements and legal documents that they need to make—and I think other members in here would understand.

Quite often, constituents and their families—and we often have whole tribes of people—come in to make these arrangements for a particular family member, and it is quite confusing. Sometimes, you really wonder whether everyone is aware of what they are doing with regard to processing these documents.

There are quite a few things that you can do with regard to end of life arrangements or, as I say, 'life arrangements'. I think most of us have got a responsibility to think about what we would consider to be appropriate for us, not only in our own right but also if other people are left to make decisions on our behalf, either formally or informally. So, it is important, I think, to think about your will (that is usually the most obvious one) but also whether you support tissue and organ donation, whether you think, if something happens to you, you support medical power of attorney, and whether in fact you are willing to have that medical power of attorney responsibility for other people.

I think the system also needs to be able to allow one to change their arrangements really easily, because you may have a view at 25 that is different to the view you might have at my age about those arrangements and whom, if for some reason or another you cannot make your own decisions, you would like to act on your behalf. I support legislation that allows for the choice of voluntary euthanasia and I think it is something that we need to emphasise. The community understands what we are talking about with regard to voluntary euthanasia. There have been many polls about this particular issue where people say, 'Yes, there should be a choice available to them.' I think it is about time that people in this house, and also the other house, consider what the general population believes.

With all due respect to the member for Fisher, I do not think that this particular bill is a bill that I would introduce. I do not think it is perfect; I do not think the ones that I have introduced have been perfect either. However, fellow members of this house, I think it is time that we all got off the fence and voted to support the choice of voluntary euthanasia.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mr Gardner.

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