So what was the article really about, euthanasia or abortion? Looks a bit like bait and switch to me.

However I will pretend that it was about euthanasia and agree that it is time that public policy on euthanasia reflected public opinion.

As for abortion, well that is another, different debate.

The author speaks about respecting the wishes of the dying. Its funny how selective she is as to who we should respect and who we should not.Look at her respect for the unborn and then you might question her credentials in challenging the hypocrisy of others. There are also those in opposition who oppose euthenasia for a number of reasons. It does make sense though that those who are in favour of killing the unborn would be a lot quicker to favour assisting in the killing of others. The compassion arguement can be strong on both sides despite those in favour of euthenasia often claiming the high moral ground. Its strange how quickly a person can become compassionate when their is a will involved or money to be made!

What exactly is euthanasia? Is it assisting someone who wants to die or is it turning off life support and stopping the administration of drugs that prolong life?

From a subjective viewpoint, my father had a stroke at 37 and was in a coma. His life support was switched off because he was like a vegetable. This allowed nature to take its course.

I don't have a problem with this type of action but I am uneasy when people expect someone else to assist them to die. It puts the living in a very precarious position in regards to the law and the threat of litigation not to mention the mental anguish that they may feel if they change their mind about it later.

The topic is very emotional and personal and there is no simple right or wrong answer. I don't know how doctors see it, I guess their own views, morals and ethics would play a large part in any decision. I don't think that it is as simple as the author proposes that we honour the wishes of the dying. It is a lot more complex than that.

How can anyone else deliberate on what I do with my life ? There are medical safeguards against suicide for no apparent reason, but if I want to end my life because of physical or aged incapacity, how dare anyone say I can't. It's an infringement of personal choice. No one complains when animals are euthanased, because their quality of life is compromised. It all leads me to believe that there might be some religious belief that is colouring the attitude of opponents of assisted death

Comparison with abortion is hardly the same argument. If my mother had wanted to abort me before birth for any reason at all, then it would have been her decision because I would have been entirely dependent on her and would have had no mental conception of life. Post natal, homicide is an entirely different matter.

...good one Snake,
I agree the matter is very complex and each is an individual case, and to compare abortion with euthanasia appears to me to be unhelpful. perhaps, like with organ donation, individuals should be encouraged to express their views or choice (formally) before they get so sick as to become depressed or dependent on others when the matter will be taken out of their hands.

Couldn't agree with you more Snake. I've seen people die slowly in palliative care and can't say I approve of the process one little bit. Whilst it's true that some people die in what appears to be a pain free situation, I'm not sure if anybody can be confident that it is indeed a pain free situation. Drugs dull the senses and addle the brain, but who's to really know just how much pain the person is actually in?
Now, thanks largely to idiots like Kevin Andrews and other religious cohorts running our current right wing Government, the debate concerning assisted suicide has been effectively stymied to the point whereby those who are terminally ill or debilitated by old age and illness are having to resort to taking their own lives, sometimes in the most horrible of ways.
It's all well and good for religious nutters to howl down the democratic processes of the euthanasia debate, but I wonder, what part of... "Judge not, lest thou be judged" don't they understand? They can't even follow what's preached from the bible and yet they hold sway over our entire population. A ridiculous situation indeed.