🚀 go-pugleaf

Iain Jameson <Iain.Jameson@dsto.defence.gov.au> wrote in article
<3340470F.6F7D@dsto.defence.gov.au>...
> Actually things aren't all that bad.
> 
> According to a `letter to the Editor' in todays "Australian" 
> newspaper (April 1, 1997), the Northern Territory may be 
> able to show it's contempt for the Andrew's bill by getting 
> the Attorny-General to grant any doctors helping patients 
> to die immunity from prosecution.
 
> This is how it works in The Netherlands.

And thats essentially how it works here too. There's lots of voluntary
euthanasia going on, with a blind eye being turned to it. Thats got 
some real downsides tho, particularly for the doctors involved. 

> Of course, the original bill was supposed to  make things stricter, 

It mostly just formalised things more. Tho it is stricter in the 
sense of the need for more than one doctor to be involved etc.

I just dont believe that the current system outside the NT is actually producing 
much involuntary euthanasia in the sense of doctors executing terminally ill 
patients, tho there is some of that, particularly with children with birth defects etc. 

> but thanks to Kevin Andrews and Co., that may no 
> longer be possible. Until they become a state anyway.
 
Yeah, people have been getting a bit over excited when all the states 
have voluntarily euthanasia formally illegal for a long time now. 

Be interesting to see if Kennett has the balls to change that. Doubt 
it tho, he's never been one for getting too far ahead of his own party 
people on the most controversial stuff like euthanasia or drugs policy. 
Victoria has always been notorious for being the wowser state too.

Its one area were citizen innitiated referenda has a lot in its favor, particularly 
if it was federally, with the feds  being given the power over the states on that 
too. Not much doubt that that would get up, like the 67 abo referendum did. 

> Who knows, perhaps democracy will return, with freedom and liberty.
 
That aint much like democracy tho.

> Interesting times.

Certainly last year hasnt been boring politically |-)