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http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2010/06/23/154045_tasmania-news.html

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Tasmania: Premier defends A-G's voluntary euthanasia strategy [ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)]
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/23/2935234.htm
Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett has defended the use of public resources to develop a Private Member's voluntary euthanasia bill. Tasmania's Premier has defended his Attorney-General's decision to use public money to develop voluntary euthanasia legislation.

Lara Giddings is planning to use resources from her office and department to investigate and draft a Private Members Bill. The idea has been criticised by religious leaders, who say public money could be better spent.

But the Premier David Bartlett says there are many precedents for this, and he supports Ms Giddings. "I support the Attorney-General in the work that she's doing in both her work as Attorney-General and as a private member," Mr Bartlett said. "The resources that she has available to her are exactly that and no doubt she'll make good use of them."

Tasmania: Attorney-General outlines law reform agenda [Tasmanian Government Media Releases]
http://www.media.tas.gov.au/release.php?id=29810
The Attorney-General, Lara Giddings, has today outlined a progressive law reform agenda for the coming year.

In her Budget Reply speech, Ms Giddings said her priorities included:
progressing a Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities;
developing voluntary euthanasia laws;
introducing surrogacy laws; and
reforming Tasmania's sex industry laws.

Ms Giddings said she would be working with Tasmanian Greens Leader Nick McKim to prepare a Private Member's Bill in relation to voluntary euthanasia. "I will be working closely with Mr McKim on this issue in our capacity as private members.

"Mr McKim's Dying with Dignity Private Member's Bill failed to gain majority support in the House of Assembly. "Nonetheless, law reform in relation to voluntary euthanasia attracts a great deal of community support and I believe it's an area which warrants further exploration.

"I believe we need to examine more closely other countries approach to Dying with Dignity legislation to come up with a bill that ensures appropriate safeguards but not make the process so cumbersome it becomes unworkable. "Clearly, any proposal involving voluntary euthanasia would require consultation with both the community and stakeholders."

Tasmania: Euthanasia debate: Church questions priorities [Yahoo.com]
http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/australian-news/7446122/euthanasia-debate-church-questions-priorities/
Tasmania's two main religious leaders have condemned the use of taxpayer money to develop voluntary euthanasia legislation. Attorney-General Lara Giddings want to help develop a new voluntary euthanasia private member's bill. She says she has the Department of Justice resources at her disposal but religious leaders say it would be inappropriate to use them.

Tasmania's Anglican Bishop John Harrower is surprised and disappointed. "I'm quite dismayed that we would use these resources in this sort of way when we have people in real anguish in our community," he said.

Later in the story: Pro-voluntary euthanasia campaigner Doctor Philip Nitschke says it will require politicians with courage to back the changes. "I think it's a very sensible or responsible comment by her that they're going to look at the working models around the world and find one which is perhaps more suitable. There are plenty of working models around the world now," he said.

"There'll be a lot of opposition from the likes of people who simply don't see this as being a suitable or an appropriate piece of legislation and of course we've got our own Prime Minister and Federal Leader of the Opposition who strongly oppose these changes by-and-large."

Tasmania: New bid to legalise voluntary euthanasia [ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)]
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/06/22/2934139.htm
The lobby group Dying With Dignity says it is thrilled the Tasmanian Government plans to look at legalising voluntary euthanasia. Greens leader Nick McKim introduced a voluntary euthanasia private members bill last year but it failed to win support.

In her budget reply speech Deputy Premier Lara Giddings told parliament says would work closely with Mr McKim to reintroduce the proposal. She says the proposed legislation needs to be simplified and she will look at other countries where voluntary euthanasia is legalised. "These issues are ones that don't sit comfortably with all members of parliament but that doesn't mean that we should not be open about them," she said.

Dying With Dignity spokeswoman Margaret Sing says she's been talking to Ms Giddings and Mr McKim about the laws. "It is in keeping with what the majority of the population wants."Every reputable opinion poll done for many years has shown that up to 80 per cent or more of the population support that option being available for people with the most profound suffering."

voluntary euthanasia

Dying With Dignity Tasmania

Greens

Tasmania

Australia

What's happening in Holland? [Dignity in Dying blog]
http://dignityindying.blogspot.com/2010/06/whats-happening-in-holland.html
Philip Satherley, Research & Policy Officer with Dignity in Dying, writes to debunk media assertions that voluntary euthanasia is dramatically increasing in the Netherlands, or that the palliative care system in the Netherlands has collapsed.

Voluntary euthanasia and physician assisted dying, combined: In percentage terms that's an approximate 25% fall between the figures recorded in 1995 and the figure reported for 2009. And, on the basis of four key criteria, palliative care in the Netherlands has improved since legalization, and is in the front rank of European countries.

[As well, Shepherd notes that a misquote from the former Dutch Health Minister Els Borst, which she has long ago dismissed, is still being used.]

ENGLISH Summary Relevant (Dutch RtD magazine) summer 2010 [World Federation of Right to Die Societies]
http://worldrtd.net/node/987
June 22, 2010: A PDF document with the English summary of the summer edition of NVVE's magazine Relevant can now be seen at http://worldrtd.net/sites/default/files/u22/summaries%202010-2%20Relevant.pdf

World Federation of Right to Die Societies Newsletter summer edition 2010 published [World Federation of Right to Die Societies]
http://worldrtd.net/node/986
June 22, 2010: The Summer edition of the WF Newsletter is published. You can obtain it as a PDF document at: http://worldrtd.net/sites/default/files/u22/WRTD%20Summer%202010.pdf

Big membership in the Japan society [World right-to-die news list]
http://lists.opn.org/pipermail/right-to-die_lists.opn.org/2010-June/003928.html
Membership of the Japan Society for Dying With Dignity stands at 125,394 (as of March 8).

Source: Newsletter #137

Voluntary Euthanasia Workshops, Assisted Suicide Seminars with Exit International [Exit International]
http://www.exitinternational.net/page/Workshops
Exit International has released its 2010-11 schedule of meetings in Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Canadian dates are Thursday, October 7, in Vancouver, and Wednesday, October 13 in Toronto.

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