EuthaNEWSia (www.euthanewsia.ca)

A "hard hitting" pro-euthanasia campaign will soon appear on television screens and billboards across Australia. Dr Philip Nitschke, an advocate of assisted suicide, said the campaign was an Australian first and it was hoped to provoke private introspection as well as a public debate.

"I think its about time we saw increasing pressure being put on the political process to stop sidelining this issue," Dr Nitschke told AAP on Tuesday. "… If we can engage in some mainstream activities in terms of getting a broad public movement of support, then politicians won't feel as though they are acting in a bizarre way if they were to engage with this issue."

The ads will air on late-night television from Sunday starting in Brisbane with Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide to follow. Related billboards will also go up "in prominent places around Australia" in a total $60,000 advertising spend. Dr Nitschke said he was inspired by the ABC Television's spoof marketing program The Gruen Transfer, which recently aired two fake advertisements making a fictional call for mandatory euthanasia. "We turned it over to the company The Works following their pretty stunning episode in the Gruen Transfer," Dr Nitschke said.

Later, the report says: The campaign was mostly funded by a bequest sent to Dr Nitschke's group Exit International from India. He said Exit International would undertake related advertising, and also work towards establishing a branch, in India.

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Rose, Danny. "Pro-euthanasia ads to hit TV screens". The Sydney Morning Herald. September 7, 2010. <news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/proeuthanasia-ads-to-hit-tv-screens-20100907-14z4z.html>. The Sydney Morning Herald, GPO Box 506, Sydney NSW 2001, AU.

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The EuthaNEWSia ID for this advisory is: enid201009085788.
Mailed: Wednesday, September 8, 2010 14:08:40 -0600
at Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

EuthaNEWSia is a free Canadian news advisory service covering end-of-life issues such as right to die, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. EuthaNEWSia is produced by the Right to Die Society of Canada which works toward a good death for all, including open, regulated and equitable access to euthanasia and assisted suicide. The editor is Michael Dawson <editor@euthanewsia.ca>.

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