“The euthanasia death last April of Perth man Nigel Brayley (45) was not ‘good’, as the root meaning of the euphemism ‘euthanasia’ implies,” FamilyVoice research officer Ros Phillips said today. “Nor was the death of young Joe Waterman (25) on the Mornington Peninsula in January.
“These were quite simply the sordid suicides of people who were physically healthy, but suffering mental pain.
“Dr Philip Nitschke, often known as ‘Dr Death’, directly provided the drug that killed Nigel Brayley. He also provided the information that led to the killing of Joe Waterman. Dr Nitschke knew that Nigel Brayley was not terminally ill and intended to kill himself, but failed to offer any help or advice to alleviate his mental suffering. In the case of Joe Waterman, Dr Nitschke’s website sold a book on how to kill yourself, without any reliable protection against abuse by depressed young people.
“How long must we wait for Dr Nitschke to be called to account in a court of law?” Ros Phillips asked.
“And how long must we endure attempts by advocates such as Greens Senator Richard Di Natale to legalise, legitimise and normalise suicide by calling it ‘euthanasia’?”
Ros Phillips said Dr Nitschke’s actions have revealed what would happen on a much larger scale if assisted killing ever became legal.
“I hope that the Senate inquiry into Senator Di Natale’s proposed bill will look at the big picture – the undermining of morale for both young and old – if this bill were to pass the federal parliament,” she said.
Mrs Roslyn Phillips, BSc DipEd National Research Officer FamilyVoice Australia: a Christian voice for family, faith and freedom Website: www.fava.org.au
