Defeat of Tasmanian Euthanasia Bill: A sound decision to protect the vulnerable
Paul Russell, Director of HOPE: preventing euthanasia & assisted suicide calls congratulates the Tasmanian Parliament on rejecting, today, the Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2013 as proposed by Premier Giddings and Mr McKim.
“Despite assurances to the contrary, this bill would have been a recipe for abuse that would have effectively abandoned the support and protection of vulnerable Tasmanians in some circumstances,” said Mr Russell.
Having been on the agenda of Ms Giddings and Mr McKim for more than two years and with the benefit of a discussion paper and extensive drafting the result proves that no euthanasia bill can ever be made safe.
“The standard of safety cannot be anything less than 100% simply because anything less than that high bar puts people’s lives at risk, this bill did put people at risk,” said Mr Russell.
“I encourage Premier Giddings, Mr McKim and all Tasmanian MPs to put this exercise far behind them and to focus, instead upon further developing a caring and inclusive culture where vulnerable people get the support that they deserve.”
The people of Tasmania should be grateful, today, for the intervention of the Tasmanian Law Society where they pointed out the manifold and significant problems with the bill. “If the largest bill on this subject we’ve ever seen (52 pages) can’t get it right, it supports our assertion that such an achievement is not humanly possible.”
HOPE: preventing euthanasia & assisted suicide Inc. is a national network of people and organisations who work to oppose euthanasia & assisted suicide legislation.
HOPE is a founding member of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition International based in Canada. Paul Russell is vice chair of the international body.
www.noeuthanasia.org.au www.blog.noeuthanasia.org.au 17th October 2013
Paul Russell Executive Director, HOPE
