Northern Territory Euthanasia Collection - Speech at the SoFiA National Conference by Marshall Perron, 19 September 2010

Details

CreatorPerron, MarshallScope and ContentsMarshall Perron's address begins by discussing death and dying, its inevitability and the changing nature of how we die in the modern age. He states that the prime motivator for people with terminal illness is not the alleviation of pain but the loss of autonomy and psychological pain - something that palliative care cannot address. Perron points out that suicide, an option chosen by some elderly people with a terminal illness is problematic and traumatic given that it is illegal to assist someone to commit it therefore it is lonely, current methods available are largely violent, and you do it while you have the physical capacity so it happens earlier than is necessary. Perron concludes by stating that voluntary euthanasia seeks to enhance personal autonomy, minimise suffering and avoid the cruelty of suicide.BackgroundThe Northern Territory was the first jurisdiction in the world to explicitly legalise euthanasia. The Rights of the Terminally Ill Act 1995 (NT) entered into law on 1 July 1996. The following year the Commonwealth Parliament intervened to overturn the Act. Section 50A was added to the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978 to prohibit the Northern Territory from making laws in respect of euthanasia. The Rights of the Terminally Act was in force for 9 months, during which time four people died by medically assisted suicide through its provisions.Date19/09/2010KeywordDeathSuicideVoluntary EuthanasiaThe ElderlyCollectionNorthern Territory Euthanasia CollectionCollection Number14-024Alternative CollectionPage 1284-1289LanguageEnglishProvenanceThe NT Euthanasia Collection contains donations from a number of contributors. This item was donated by Mr Marshall Perron.Related MaterialPlease see folder list for the NT Euthanasia CollectionCultural AdviceAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers should be aware that this collection may contain images or names of people who have since passed away.LocationArafura Research ArchivePhysical DescriptionElectronic Document - 6 Pages

PersonMarshall PerronGail TullochPattie MeadMargaret BattinPlaceQueenslandOrganisationSoFiA

Admin

TopicEuthanasia

OCR Text Transcription Edit Edit +-Close

Editing is temporarily disabled

Cancel Edit