Great posts, I too fear dying in pain without dignity more than being forced into "voluntary euthanasia". I see no virtue in suffering and think we should implement laws like those in the Netherlands if only to protect the actions of medical staff.

Australia's hodge podge methods of dealing with the terminally ill leave medical staff vulnerable to litigation. Terminally ill patients are advised to check the religious affiliation of their doctor and their hospital to predict the hospitals response to their impending death.

Thank you, Ginx, that’s very nicely said.
And yes, it’s the slippery slope arguments that do need some attention but these are –in my view- no reason for euthanasia to remain illegal and all the more reason to have clear laws in place that will protect both medical staff and patients.
Overdoses of morphine are already administered with the “intention” to relieve pain and indeed this does put medical staff at risk as Billie said.

When euthanasia is legal, the lethal drugs that doctors will have available to administer to their patients are far superior to morphine; they’re kinder and softer. But since their purpose is to cause death and not to relief pain, they’re not available to doctors here.
There is a small range of euthanatica available and sometimes the patients can have a choice.

Some mmore info on this case:

http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1204070853

Euthanasia in general:

http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1171778149
http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1197935939/2#2

Thank you for those links, freediver. I haven’t read all of the material but the discussion on that ozpolitic forum is very interesting. Wherever I read discussions on the euthanasia topic, the vast majority of posters are in favour of legal voluntary euthanasia.

I haven't been able to find any results of a large-scale Australian poll. It would be interesting to find out what proportion of Australians support euthanasia. I know in the Netherlands it was around 85% and since euthanasia was legalised the rate of supporters is has increased to 90% +.
I have the feeling that numbers could well be similar in Australia.
Makes me wonder how little the government have been representing the general population on this.

One thing that keeps coming up in euthanasia debates is the question why people can’t just take an overdose of their medication.
While quite a few patients might do so in desperation,this is hardly a kind and soft way of ending one’s life.
People should not have to resort to this!
This method is just too unreliable and scary because it's not guaranteed to be kind at all- the overdose may, if it fails to kill the patient, even cause more health problems.
There may be vomiting involved which is guaranteed to be a scare for patients who are experiencing trouble of breathing or of swallowing. There is nothing scarier than having to choke to death.

Suicide is also a lonely way of dieing, as patients naturally don’t want others to be involved for legal reasons.

Compare that with, for example, the preparation for my aunt’s death. She’s recently had the final talk with her doctor about her choice of euthanatica and knows exactly how her body is going to react to it, knowing that she will be watched by the doctor all the way through so that she can be guaranteed a painless and very peaceful death.
She now is at home and in the process of saying goodbye to all of her close friends and family before she will die in the company of her husband and children.

Celivia

I am sure that I speak for many when I say that your Aunt and your family are very much in our thoughts. I am moved to think that your Aunt has the choice for a humane death in the company of her friends and family.

I believe the time has come for a referendum on euthanasia, like Celivia, I believe the majority of Australians support a humane approach to terminal illness. I want to make it clear that this does not lead down a slippery slope simply because a moderate position is taken, then it inevitably leads to extremes.

This doesn’t happen in many areas of our society, overall we remain civil to each other – it is only the minority who react with extreme behaviour. We govern for the majority not the extremists.

I can’t think of anything worse than dying alone and in pain, yet that is what our current legislation entails. We have a new regime in Canberra, but nothing will change unless we speak out about it. Time to write to our politicians – make them accountable – would they see their loved ones die in agony? I very much doubt that.