Euthenasia

The euthenasia debate continues in South Australia. Our Divisional Commander was sent this update recently: Major Winsome Mason SA Divisional Commander of the Salvation Army PO Box 300 FULLARTON SA 5063 Dear Major Mason, Re: Criminal Law Consolidation (Medical Defences-End of Life Arrangements) Amendment Bill 2011 I write with some urgency to draw attention to a bill introduced by Hon Stephanie Key, and I invite you to please consider raising concern with MPs, and among your people, since the bill, if it passes both houses of Parliament, would radically change the law on murder in South Australia. It would allow a doctor to be exonerated for murder if he or she could convince a court on the balance of probabilities that he murdered his or her patient at the patient's request and because the patient found life intolerable. Unlike the earlier attempts to legalise euthanasia in South Australia, this Bill imposes no requirements for expert medical opinions, for agreement from a second doctor, or for properly witnessed statutory forms. The Bill would also undermine the sterling efforts by government and other agencies to reduce the incidence of suicide in South Australia - since it would provide a defence for a doctor who aids, abets or counsels a person to commit suicide. The defence is not limited to suicide by drug overdose. It could apply even if a doctor encouraged a person to hang or shoot himself. The defences in the Bill would also apply to the offences of soliciting murder or conspiracy to commit murder. This could place vulnerable patients at risk from greedy relatives who hired an unscrupulous doctor to commit murder by lethal injection. The attachment analyses the Bill in detail, and shows it to be the most reckless proposal we have seen in any Australian parliament on end of life questions. If Dr Harold Shipman - the notorious English doctor who killed over 200 of his patients - had the advantage of the bill's defences, he probably would never have been sentenced to life imprisonment. I also attach a copy of the bill. I would be most grateful if you would please consider contacting MPs and raising concern about this matter with them, and with your people. Yours sincerely, David d'Lima South Australia State Officer FamilyVoice Australia If you are interested in the bill summary, send Brad an email and he will forward it to you. If you believe this is something that you would like to act upon, please do so.