Death talk heats up

By Clare Quirk
Updated November 7 2012 - 5:18am, first published July 8 2011 - 1:12pm

A top Bendigo priest has called on the community to look beyond euthanasia when seeking answers to terminal illness.Euthanasia advocate Philip Nitschke will hold a public meeting and a closed practical seminar in Bendigo today.Monsignor Frank Marriott said that the so-called right to die seemed to be the most important of all rights.“In a society that seems, sadly, at the moment to be shocked by the way animals are treated, but immune to the suffering of people, the church seeks to uphold the sanctity of life for all,” he said.“The gift of life and its preciousness takes precedence over established practices, for example capital punishment and others being proposed such as euthanasia or assisted suicide.“A concern as a church is to provide adequate care for people who are chronically or terminally ill. “Bendigo is wonderfully served by the existing Palliative Service offered by a most caring and dedicated staff. This service I see in action regularly.”On Wednesday Dr Nitschke said he didn’t expect any opposition to the meeting.He said questions were increasingly raised about Alzheimer’s and dementia and it tended to be a condition that limited people’s choices. “In terms of Alzheimer’s there are higher risks that voluntary euthanasia will be interpreted by the courts as an act of murder,” he said.“There are a lot of pitfalls and traps.“Recent court cases show even the law has difficulty addressing the circumstances of those unfortunate enough to find themselves in front of judge and jury. The answer is not clear.”Dr Nitschke is the founder and director of Exit International, a voluntary euthanasia advocacy organisation. In 1996 he became the first physician in the world to administer a legal, lethal voluntary injection under the Rights of the Terminally Ill Act of the Northern Territory. The closed seminar will also discuss the results of recent laboratory drug testing commissioned by Exit International.The free public meeting ‘Voluntary Euthanasia: Making Choices in the context of Alzheimer’s & Dementia’ will be held today at the Bendigo Bank Theatre at 11am. Attendees of the closed seminar must be over 50 and ‘‘of sound mind”.

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