@Suseonline: "While I support anyone's right to end their life under strict conditions, I do worry about WHO will be actually giving the drugs to end their lives?"

Surely if you trust a doctor to correctly prescribe and -- if necessary -- administer drugs that will SAVE your life, there should be no question about trusting them to do the reverse if necessary? Inducing death -- once the patient has requested it and confirmed their request -- is a very simple medical procedure.

Responding to points made, the common online polls are unscientific and easily manipulated. Religious backed organizations have a network of people, including overseas, who swamp any euthanasia polls with repeated calls to distort the figures.
The only valid polls are by professional organizations like gallop, Roy Morgan and Neilsen. Every one of those will show a massive majority favour VE.

Doctors who do not want to participate in voluntary euthanasia do not have to. In every proposed law participation is voluntary for all persons involved. Doctor, nurse, chemist,etc. Their right to decline is protected and no action can be taken against them for non participation.

Considering the small number of patients who will opt for VE, most doctors will never be asked to assist someone to die. Surveys show about half of all doctors are supportive of VE.

Marshall

Suze, the way I understand it is that in Switzerland, it is the
patient themselves who administers the drug, after obtaining the
prescribtion of around 10or 15 grammes of Nembutal. Its prepared
as a liquid and they drink it themselves. Its the same drug as is
used by vets, when your pet is suffering and you don't want to
see it suffer any longer.

Its often a family affair, quite a moving experience I am told, by
those who have attended such endings.

<<So, what is the problem? Politicians, or more to the point, religious politicians.>>

Wrong! The problem is politicians, politicians and once more, politicians. Religion doesn't come into it.

If a politician believes that God doesn't want them to commit or assist in suicide, then all they need is to not do it themselves, to not assist others and to not ask for such assistance.

If they feel that they cannot actively be the cause of killing others, then all they need to do is to abstain (or leave the chamber) when voting on euthanasia and assisted suicide takes place.

Commanding others what not to do (or else they be thrown in jail), is abuse of power and has nothing to do with God.
It does however add to the bad reputation of His holy name and the persecution of religion. Shame on them for that!

What rubbish you write Yuyutsu, of course politicians are guided by their religion and expect us to fall into line with what is stated in their beloved bible, especially the Catholic politicians, it is not only in the area of VE but other areas such as Gay marriage, they follow their bible God and not the wishes of the 85% of the people who want VE legalised.
If you vote for Tony Abbott in the next election he will make decisions for the rest of us on his Catholic convictions, a true bible basher and believer.

Exactly right, Yuyutsu!
Assisted suicide will not become a requirement, but an option for those wanting it. Politicians appear to be under the impression that decriminalising assisting suicide is the same thing as legally requiring that people assist suicide. There was the same problem with decriminalising homosexual acts; those opposed were predicting that pretty soon everyone would be forced to become same-sex-oriented. It is sad that most politicians seem devoid of intelligence, common sense, rationality, logic, independent thinking, empathy, objectivity, and concern for anyone except themselves.
Perhaps democracy isn't all it's cracked up to be.