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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-11-11 Daily Xml
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Voluntary Euthanasia

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (15:45): I would like to bring to the house's attention the most recent newsletter, End of Life Choice, that is sponsored by the South Australian Voluntary Euthanasia Society, Doctors for Voluntary Euthanasia Choice, Christians Supporting Choice for Voluntary Euthanasia, SAVE-YA (Syndicated Australian Voluntary Euthanasia Youth Advocates), Lawyers for Death with Dignity, and South Australian Nurses Supporting Choices in Dying. The 13 October newsletter states:

This issue is dedicated to Hon. Dr Bob Such (1944-2014), Member for Fisher, with thanks for his tireless advocacy to legalise voluntary euthanasia.

I am interested in following these groups because they all have a slightly different agenda. I think it is worth noting that the South Australian Voluntary Euthanasia Society was established in 1983 by volunteers to campaign for a South Australian law that provides for medically assisted end of life as a right in appropriate circumstances and with defined safeguards. It states:

SAVES aims to raise public debate to a point where our Members of Parliament enact a VE law which provides everyone with the choice to end prolonged and painful suffering.

Doctors for Voluntary Euthanasia is a more recent organisation, as I understand. They are a national organisation of medical practitioners, both current and retired, who are committed to:

having a legal choice of providing information and assistance to rational adults who, for the reasons of no realistic chance of cure or relief from intolerable symptoms, would like to gently end their lives. Assistance may be by doctor provision of medication for the patient to consume, or by doctor-administration.

Another more recent organisation is Christians Supporting Choice for Voluntary Euthanasia. They say:

We are Christians who believe that, as a demonstration of love and compassion, those with a terminal or hopeless illness should have the option of a pain-free, peaceful and dignified death with legal voluntary euthanasia. The overwhelming majority of Australian Christians support choice for voluntary euthanasia.

SAVE-YA (Syndicated Australian Voluntary Euthanasia Youth Advocates) is another national body. It is a:

…youth lobby group which aims to provide a youth voice in support of legalising voluntary euthanasia in all…states/Territories. Members between the ages of 18 and 35 are encouraged to join and make contact with their local MPs to inform them of their support for voluntary euthanasia law reform.

Lawyers for Death with Dignity acknowledges:

the need for people with profound suffering to have the legal choice for a medically assisted and dignified death. The current law says suicide is not illegal, but assisting suicide is. In many cases, those who are in terminal states have profound, unbearable suffering and are put in the undignified position of being unable to end their life without assistance. The medical profession has advanced their discipline to improve life expectancy, but appropriate changes have not been reflected in the South Australian law to deal with an often forgotten deterioration of quality of life that this may bring.

The South Australian Nurses Supporting Choices in Dying—this is an older organisation in South Australia—say:

We are a group of passionate nurses who believe in our patient's right to choose the end of life care that they wish, including the choice of voluntary euthanasia. Our members come from vastly different backgrounds and age groups but we all share the same goal.

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