Australian News
Assisted suicide is still prohibited by law in many countries. Free and responsible citizens continue to be patronised and prevented against their will from ending their suffering and life in a manner they personally consider dignified. Relatives and friends who respect the wish of a seriously ill person to die and who give him or her their support are still being treated as criminals.
The DWDACT submission to the Australian Capital Territory’s Legislative Assembly Select Committee on End of Life Choices
In brief, I advocated that coroners should identify a cohort of self-inflicted death by the elderly and the terminally and hopelessly ill that is premature, lonely and usually violent.
The prime task of DWDACT is to bring about law reform in the area of dying. We wish to make the choice to die the decision of the individual supported by the state.
In my last Bulletin I was optimistic that we might have a legal breakthrough via The Australian constitution which states that the Commonwealth may not make law imposing religious observances.
The options for end of life care are becoming increasingly important to the ACT community. At this free event, hosted by the ACT Law Society and sponsored by the ANU College of Law, a panel of experts will examine the choices and decisions for palliative care currently available to residents of the ACT, and look ahead to the future of end of life care and the legal and medical implications of change.
