It has all been said umpteen times, and nothing has come of it because politicians think that they are our masters, not our servants as they should be; and, we stupid voters keep on voting for the same people.

Throughout history of civilisation, a small minority, have held the secrets to the power of survival for the vast majority.

Pre literate civilisations, vested that power in the elders of the tribe, with rituals designed to memorise the essential knowledge of all things relevant to survival in the local environment. Knowledge was power!

In post literate societies, things changed. The power shifted to those most capable of using violence to protect the tribe from external threats.

Modern man now invests that trust into the hands of the professional mystics, Doctors.

Power is where the money is. Doctors will not willingly give up on the cushy monopoly they have assembled over the years, to strip you of your riches, in your vain and desperate attempts, to defy the hand of nature and outlive your use-by date.

I know of no poor Doctors, and I know no Doctor that would willingly lose money, to satisfy your vanity in the last days of your life. Best of luck with that one!

Accident investigators believe a very large percentage of single vehicle fatal car crashes are actually suicide.

Surely a pill is nicer for the both the one departing & the family remaining, than a bullet or a car crash.

Quality of life is subjective and often degraded by this or that personal choice/unhealthy lifestyle. An obese individual may have painful worn out knees/hips?

By all means seek assisted dying but where you are the only one making the decision to imbibe the lethal poison. If it's purely your choice, why not? Be it a pill/lethal injection or a cheaper bullet? Each method of suicide just as efficacious!

Even so putting others first seems to lift the focus off of your troubles and modern medical science has some very effective palliative care! Always providing one can afford it!

If you believe in another life or existence beyond this one or reincarnation and Karma, then you know that suicide simply means you're going to relive the karma you try to avoid? All of it! So as you sow so also shall you reap, eventually.
Alan B.

Won't be long now.....

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Ahhhh!...... aint life grand?

I nursed the dying and am in full support of euthanasia. The number of times patients begged me to let them die because of pain, indignity, and the fact that it was the only destination left for them. If adopted, euthanasia is not mandatory. If you don't want that end-of-life choice, fine, but don't deny it to others.

It should be also be noted that suicide is not uncommon among the elderly. Hanging is popular as is walking out into traffic. Organisations like Dignitas are intelligent and compassionate solutions for those suffering irreversible painful declination into death.

That is a beautifully written article. I cannot imagine being confronted with the decision to effectively 'die now or see it out', and I commend you on your courage in speaking out.

However, I find the quote "Jesus himself deliberately chose the time of his death. He had a number of options to avoid the crucifixion, but he chose to go to the cross. We all have the same choice", a little misleading.

Jesus did not choose death to avoid pain, he chose pain to save from death.

My Wife and Brother have both passed away as a result of melanoma. My brothers cancer ended up as bone cancer. Although on the maximum dose of morphine allowable his face would still wince with pain. The nurses would give him additional medication when one of us (We stayed with him till the end) contacted them, however, there was a maximum they could legally give. Torture is illegal in Australia except, apparently, when you are terminally ill. I believe in personal choice. I am not religious, however my understanding of Christianity is that God is the final Judge. I ask religious polititians how God will judge those who prevent people from making decisions that God is to Judge. I believe many politicians are allowing their religious views to influence their decision making.

Hi Gribble - I'm so sorry for the loses you have endured and that pain of watching your loved ones melt painfully away. I have seen it many times and am also aware that some doctors administered merciful overdoses at times - albeit at the nth hour and too late for the interminable suffering of their patients. I also agree that religion is (again) getting in the way of compassion. Their concept of God is a punitive one, a reflection of themselves.

Dear HereNow,

Why blame religion itself for the actions of some fanatic Christians?

Killing one's body is at times sinful, at other times it is not. Nevertheless, even when sinful, nobody can ever stop another from being a sinner: religion is always about how you live (and die), not about how others do so.

I am not a doctor but I know many, and most are in support of voluntary euthanasia, with appropriate protections. Doctors are not in the business of prolonging suffering, even if there is money to be made.
As a Queenslander, I agree that we urgently need to make changes.
The Queensland Labor Party voted to support the introduction of Assisted Dying at their conference last July, with surprisingly little resistance, but they are getting stuck in the implementation because it is such an easy target for the opposition. Dying with Dignity Qld dwdqld.org.au is doing great advocacy work here and is worth getting involved with if you are a supporter.

Yuyutsu - There is no such thing as sin. It is an invention used to manipulate others. Religion has a great deal to answer for.

Dear HereNow,

You say that there is no sin, then are we all united with God already?

'Sin' is a term from archery. It means "to miss the mark".

I assume (please forgive me if I am wrong) that you never consciously aimed to be with God, but you cannot deny that others have so aimed. Are all those others in fact with God by now? Have they all reached their target? If even one person hasn't [yet], than there's sin for you.

«Religion has a great deal to answer for»

If by "Religion" you mean such organisations that claim to represent God and to possess the sole roadmap to Him, then I agree.

I agree with Alan B's assessment that "quality of life" is subjective. If assisted suicide is allowed it should only be in certian cases. Not to someone who has suffered a loss and doesn't know how to live through it. For crying out loud there are young people who've suffered greatly and are encouraged to continue on. They are an encouragement to redefining "quality of life" to be something that never gives up, and never surrenders. And can find life worth while even if it holds less then the average person's potential.