This makes me angry with politicians and do-gooders whom I already loathe, so a bit more anger will not help. But all decent people should be up in arms. Nobody should have to end their lives in pain and indignity thrust upon them by arrogant creeps who think they know best, and who are healthy and decades away from their own deaths. How dare they presume to decide how other people die!

Long live Philip Nitschke and Marshall Perron.
One of the most forward thinking and progressive pieces of legislation in Australian political history scuttled by that seat warming useless ultra conservative Andrews.

If you knew what was on the other side of death's door you may not be in such a hurry to open it?

I recently suffered from a life threatening stroke an saw something so inherently evil and truly terrifying as to beg and plead not to make/allow this to become my reality. Incidently this entity offered me a world where anything I wanted would be mine, money fame possessions, fast cars and faster women, if I simply abandoned my current moral code.

Some would argue that what I experienced was just the hallucinations of a damaged brain, And who knows they could be right?

The opposite could also be true?

Of course evil incarnate, wouldn't want you to believe otherwise, given you would then cheat him of his prize?

Evil Incarnate is alive and well? Look to the thousands facing ritual beheadings, institional rape, and far worse in a place called the Middle East; and then try to convince me that evil isn't abroad in the world and imposing its will of those poor fools already its lick spittle compliant servants, doing its will?

Those who want to exercise control over their final parting and pain experience/endurance already have the control advocated here, just by making a living will!

Therefore the strawman argument for euthanasia, is just risible rubbish put about by simple folk, who just don't understand; that from the day you are born you have a date with destiny and a karmic debt you just can't avoid or circumvent?

If you have e.g. sold rust bucket death traps to kids, and then try and avoid reaping the whirlwind, there could be worse things yet unseen?

Current Pain relief is very good, unfortunately when applied to eliminate all pain, it can and does suppress the life force!

And some folks in medicine, will confirm off the record, involuntary euthanasia applied as effective pain relief happens on daily basis in most large public hospitals?

All we need do, is protect the doctors from criminal liability, if we would allow this effective pain relief to continue to be dispensed!?
Rhrosty

Great article, David.

I think it is disgusting that we basically can torture our oldies, even against their will, all in the name of religious superstition and tradition. I think of the Rossiter case as a great example. He could move nothing but his lips. He went to court and pleaded for his right to euthanasia, as flying him to Switzerland was logistically extremely difficult. The court decided his only option was to starve himself to death by rejecting all food. Sorry folks, but that can only be described as torture.

The Swiss have a great systems, run by Exit Switzerland, which is separate from Exit International. The same system could be introduced here. It is 2015, we are being left behind and our oldies are paying a heavy price, I am sad to say.

The only Man never to lie tells clearly what happens when our days are up. We can repent and receive forgiveness or experience what Rhrosty experienced or worse. To many selfish kids lining up for inheritances to legalise killing oldies. Just like the baby killing industry that was suppose to be about the poor young girl who was raped the engineers will be looking at selling body parts.

I would never want to take away peace of mind and dignity for yours or anyone else's mum or elderly family member, but if people like yourself make this legal then before long it will be a standard to kill people off to save money. Where would that possibly leave my mum?

I am currently in hospital with terminal lung cancer I have maybe a couple of weeks left.I am not religious in the in the formal sense but l suspect there are forces beyond the those understood by science as I have had a number premonitions that have come true in my lifetime.

As far as wishing to depart early goes I like the option should be available but I am disgusted by the idea people should be encouraged to go early fo economic reasons.

Hi Warmair,

I wish you the best of luck. If you do go - I don't know whether this is good or bad news - you will probably see a lot of us there with you, sooner or later.

Thank you for your contributions. Think of the good times.

Joe

Thanks you for your kind words. I don't expect anything beyond this world but I fear for what man, will do this world. I have enjoyed the exchange of ideas on this site even when I strongly disagree the opposing views.

For Warmair and others

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

These words come from Someone who never lied

Whatever the arguments, the fact is that the overwhelming majority of the population supports voluntary euthanasia.

Among the terminally ill, opinion is divided. Some prefer to let nature take its horrible course, others want to end their own suffering and the psychological suffering of their loved ones.

Death is not democratic. Neither is it moral. I've known absolute arseholes who have died suddenly and peacefully, and I've know lovely people who have been subjected to deaths that are beyond belief in their sustained torture.

Voluntary euthanasia gives us all some control over the manner of our own death, whether we wish to take advantage of it or not.

Why it's still being refused to us as a basic human right is anyone's guess. I believe it all comes down to politics. If the current leaders of the world - i.e. the US, UK and EU - were to officially sanction voluntary euthanasia, then lapdog countries like Australia would leap-frog all over themselves to pass the legislation required

Q, is it a coincidence that communists want to mercy kill older conservative voters & lower the voting age to younger communist voters?

Hi Iamanoldfrrt,

You may be on to something. If discussions such as this slide towards mention of advanced Alzheimer's, your hypothesis will be confirmed.

Totalitarians use people. People are fodder and/or puppets, and those who can't be used are expendable. For those who can be used, such as innocent teenagers, ways will be found to suck their potential to the last drop. Hence - as you suggest - eliminating the old and useless at one end, and dragging in the very young as foot soldiers, at the other.

Surely, any talk about people having the right to take their own lives (although if one is serious, it's not hard to think of ways) would have to require that they are most lucid, that they are fully aware of all the alternatives and consequences. Maybe I've never been depressed enough, but I cannot agree that that could ever justify suicide.

As it happens, I had to go to hospital a week ago with what is insultingly called 'pseudo-gout', extreme swelling and unbelievable pain in the knee joints. It took about twelve hours for the pain-killers to kick in, and the radiologist took 70 ml of fluid out of one knee. It will probably re-occur occasionally, but that attack certainly encouraged me to reflect on much of life. But I never for a moment considered topping myself - amputations, yes, but not suicide. Mind you, I would have kissed the doctor if he had given me something which worked within seconds. And the nurses too. Yes, indeed, every one of them, such comely angels. All I could think of, every second, was 'Make it stop, for Christ's sake, make it stop,' but at the same time, I was designing some system for installing 30-cm wheels on my stumps, and associated problems, thing like getting on buses, putting in ramps all around the house, etc. And I had to rule out future plans for love-making in my wheels, although I worked on it. The mind is a weird monster.

[TBC]

[continued]

I haven't had red wine or red meat since then: one must make sacrifices until researchers find instant cures for this thing. Thoughts of going without red wine forever did actually set me thinking about suicide, but I'm bargaining with myself that if I don't have another attack within a month .....

As a decrepit atheist, life seems so precious to me, you should measure it in gold bars. You have a chance to do what you can, then pffft ! So I can't understand people whose lives are so barren that they can contemplate ending it. Get out and smell the jasmine, listen to the birds, watch the children frolic, perve on the young women, whatever lifts your spirits. And get over yourself.

Joe

Andrew Denton did a superb job in discussing this very topic on Q&A last night. I hope that he keeps campaigning, until the law is finally changed.

Some of you clearly have a problem in understanding or accepting that others can have a different perspective of a situation. Fair enough, not everyone is empathetic to the pain of others.

A key question asked last night if "when somebody is suffering, how can I ask them to suffer more?" I don't think that you should have that right and that is why I think that the law should be changed, so that we can each make our own decisions, about what is best for us.

Yabby - I also saw Andrew Denton on Q & A and I agree with his campaign. I haven't written more to explain my argument as we have a member on this thread who is currently not well.

Warmair - I will keep you in my prayers, and wish you all the best.