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Euthanasia Lobby exposes RTI Dangers

"Recent publicity from the Australian pro-euthanasia lobby, intended
to win Senators emotions, may backfire boosting support for the
anti-euthanasia Andrews Bill."
 
"The publicity campaign featured pleas from patients who have all the
necessary paperwork signed, but are not yet ready to end their lives.
Euthanasia advocates have been using letters, and even voice
recordings from patients to apply emotional pressure on  the eve of
the Andrews Bill vote."

"Instead they have exposed some fundamental flaws in the world's first
euthanasia law, the Northern Territory's Rights of the Terminally Ill
Act 1995."

"All of these patients convinced their doctor they were experiencing
pain, suffering and/or distress to an unacceptable extent. This is the
first and most basic requirement under the RTI Act. "

"Yet in the letters and recordings in the publicity, the patients
indicate they had no intention of ending this suffering in the near
future, unless forced to do so by the impending Senate vote."

"The patients are clearly willing to accept their level of pain,
suffering or distress at this time, so the question must be asked:
'why did their doctor sign the paperwork in the first place?'"

"Insufficient safeguards against inappropriate access leave the RTI
Act seriously flawed."

"Another glaring weakness exposed is accountability for what happens
when a patient rescinds a request under the RTI Act."

"The statements in the letters and recordings clearly show the
patients do not wish to be 'assisted' to die at this time."

"The RTI Act is very clear about the procedure should the patient
decide he/she does not want to proceed."

"Yet instead of destroying the paperwork as required by the Act, we
are seeing these patients held hostage to the pro-euthanasia lobby's
demands on the Senate."

"If the pro-euthanasia lobby is willing to thumb its nose at the
existing safeguards in the act in order to attract publicity, what
hope do we have that these safeguards will be applied when no-one is
looking ?"

"Even the financial safeguards built into the RTI Act barely survived
its first use."

"The Voluntary Euthanasia Fighting Fund which has so far raised in
excess of $6000 coincidentally has an advertisement on the
"Deliverance" Internet site, the only place in the world Dr Philip
Nitschke announces details of deaths under the RTI Act."

"By exclusively announcing details alongside a request for donations
to his passionate cause, Dr Nitschke may well be in breach  of the RTI
Act."

"The pro-euthanasia lobby's publicity campaign has backfired badly"

"Their publicity highlights just how badly the controversial
legislation is already being misused."

"Australian Senators are due to vote on a Bill to overturn the RTI Act
on Monday, and by exposing widespread misuse of the RTI Act at the
last moment, the pro-euthanasia lobby may well have sealed its fate."

Mr David Moss,
personal opinion only.
"Living in Australia - without Deadly Deliverance"
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/8270