Euthanasia in
Victoria
(or
is that 'dying with dignity?")
Status: Closed - the Bill was DEFEATED!
Updates
11 September 2008 - The
Victorian Legislative Council has debated and voted on the
Medical Treatment (Physician
Assisted Dying Bill 2008 on Wednesday 10 September 2008.
The
Bill was DEFEATED - 25 votes to 13.
Click here
for the Hansard debate and vote.
The final vote is on Page 37-38.
21 August 2008 - The
Victorian Legislative Council has again debated the
Medical Treatment (Physician Assisted Dying Bill 2008 - on Wed 20 August
2008.
Another NINE MPs spoke on the Bill - 2 in favour, 7
against.
One MLC,
Philip Davis, moved a 'reasoned amendment' proposing that the
Bill be sent to the Legislation Committee “for inquiry, consideration and report
and that the bill not be read a second time until the Council has considered the
final report of the committee on the bill’. The amendment proposes that the
Committee take submissions and report by 31 March
2009.
Following that, the debate was officially on the amendment but most MPs used
their speech to speak on the actual Bill.
Two MLCs expressed support for the Bill: Philip
Davis
(Eastern
Victoria) and Gavin Jennings (South Eastern
Metropolitan).
Seven MLCs said they would vote against
the Bill: Matt Viney (Eastern Victoria); Jan Kronberg (Eastern Metropolitan); Jenny
Mikakos (Northern Metropolitan); Richard Dalla-Riva (Eastern
Metropolitan); Brian Tee (Eastern Metropolitan); Inga Peulich
(South Eastern Metropolitan); Bernie Finn (Western Metropolitan).
Click here
to read the Draft Hansard, containing their speeches. (Pages
53-83)
The number of MLCs opposing the Bill is an encouraging
sign!
The debate was not concluded by the close of sitting last
night. We have been informed by an MLC that the Bill will NEXT be debated on
Wednesday 10 September.
Update: 19 August
2008
The Medical Treatment (Physician Assisted Dying)
Bill is expected to be debated, and voted
on, in the Legislative Council on Wednesday 20 August.
PLEASE contact your FIVE Legislative Council
MPs
to ask them to vote against this Bill.
Update 1
August 2008
The Victorian Legislative Council debated the
Bill last Wednesday.
Click here
to read the Hansard speeches - at Page 47 and again at P 83.
So far 11 MPs have spoken. Six opposed the
Bill (Kavanagh, Rich-Phillips, Thornley, Vogels, Pakula, Pulford). Four have
said they support the Bill (Broad, Scheffer, Coote, Leane). One MP (Peter Hall)
said he is undecided at present.
The Parliament next meets on 19 August
2008. We are advised by MPs that the Bill is likely to be next
debated and put to a vote on 20 August.
Update: 30 July
2008
The Medical Treatment (Physician Assisted Dying)
Bill is being debated by Victoria's
Legislative Council. The Bill has been proposed by Greens MLC Colleen Hartland.
Please
contact your MPs in both the Legislative Council and ALSO in the
Legislative Assembly.
Please PRAY that the Bill is defeated in the
Legislative Council.
ASK your MPs to vote AGAINST the Bill
[MP
names and contact details - click here]
FULL
details of the Bill
below...
_____________________________
The
Bill
June 2008 - Greens MP Colleen Hartland has prepared a Bill that would allow
'physician assisted dying'. In other words it would allow doctors to help people
kill themselves.
The Bill was initially proposed by Legislative Assembly member Liberal
Ken Smith. It is now being co-sponsored by Greens MP Colleen
Hartland.
The Bill was to have been presented to parliament, with the Second Reading Speech, on
28 May. Greens MP Colleen Hartland attempted to table the Bill on
WED 28 May in the Legislative Council - however Democratic Labor
Party MP Peter Kavanagh managed to have the Second reading speech delayed.
11 June 2008
- Dying Bill in Vic Legislative Council
The
'assisted suicide' bill being promoted by Greens MP Colleen Hartland, was
tabled in the Legislative Council on 11 June 2008.
It is called the
Medical Treatment (Physician Assisted Dying) Bill.
Click here
to read the proposed bill.
Click here
to read the second reading speech.
ACTION NEEDED
- Please contact your SIX MPs NOW!
Ask them to vote
against this Bill. More details below.
_______________________
Greens MP Colleen Hartland has released a Draft Exposure of
her proposed Bill.
It is called the Medical Treatment (Physician
Assisted Dying) Bill 2008.
The Draft Bill has been posted on
the Greens website: click here.
Under the Bill, doctors would be allowed to assist a person die if they have
a 'terminal illness' or incurable disease. As well as defining a lot of the
words used (that really don't define what is 'incurable' or what is
'suffering'!), the Bill specifically says this would not be called
'suicide'!
Ms Hartland held a Briefing at the Parliament last week - on 29 May - The
other speaker at the forum was Neil Francis - President, Dying With
Dignity
Victoria.
This is the new, sanitised name for what was once called the
'Voluntary Euthanasia Society of
Victoria
'.
But 'Dying with Dignity' sounds nicer...
And
'Physician-Assisted Dying' sounds more appealing than suicide.
This organisation has been lobbying consistently for this legislation -
DWDV surveyed all the MPs and candidates prior to the last state election -
they posted their 'legislative charter' and survey results on their website.
Media Release - Greens
Victoria
- 28-05-2008
Delay
will help supporters of Physician Assisted Dying
"Greens MLC
Colleen Hartland is happy to wait another two weeks for the second reading of
her Physician Assisted Dying bill. "The longer we wait, the more support we
get", said Colleen Hartland...."
ACTION: Victorians,
PLEASE contact your SIX MPs
- one Legislative
Assembly - FIVE Legislative Council.
Ask them to vote AGAINST this proposed Bill - the Medical Treatment
(Physician Assisted Dying) Bill 2008. Ask your Legislative Council MPs to ensure
that the Bill is not given 'leave' to be debated.
Click
here
for YOUR MP contact details.
Media Reports:
MPs
to debate Euthanasia Bill
Herald Sun, Article from: AAP - May
28, 2008.
“A PRIVATE members Bill to legalise euthanasia has been
introduced in the Victorian Parliament.
Greens MP Colleen
Hartland introduced the Bill in the upper house today, coinciding with a
national push by Greens Leader Bob Brown to restore right-to-die laws in the
Northern
Territory.
Introducing
the Bill, Ms Hartland said it would enable a "mentally competent adult person
suffering intolerably from a terminal or advanced incurable illness to exercise
their right to end their lives".
The Bill also provides protection for
doctors who help patients die.
The Medical Treatment (Physician Assisted
Dying) Bill will be formally tabled on June 11 after attempts for a second
reading today were thwarted by Democratic Labor Party MP Peter Kavanagh.
The
Bill is not not expected to be debated in the upper house until the end of next
month.
If it makes it to the lower house there will be resistance, with
Victorian Premier John Brumby today reiterating his opposition to
euthanasia….”
Brumby
not swayed by right-to-die proposal
The Age, May 29,
2008
"LEGISLATION giving terminally ill people the right to die with the
assistance of a doctor is unlikely to win the backing of Premier John Brumby.
..."
Euthanasia bill
stalled by DLP
ABC, Wed May 28, 2008
"Debate on a
controversial euthanasia bill before the Victorian Parliament has been delayed
by the Democratic Labor Party (DLP)...."
Bid
for licence to kill
Sunday Herald Sun, Peter Rolfe, May
25, 2008
DOCTORS would be given a licence to kill under legislation
to be introduced to Victorian Parliament.
Greens MP Colleen
Hartland will introduce the controversial Physician-Assisted Dying Bill to the
Upper House on Wednesday...." Author: Jenny Stokes | Modified: 18 September 2008 |
