Churches’ fears over euthanasia ‘workshop’
Dr Philip Nitschke
CHURCH leaders have called on the police to investigate an event in Edinburgh where people will be given advice on “DIY” euthanasia.
High-profile Dr Philip Nitschke – dubbed Australia’s Dr Death – has hired church premises for what has been branded a “Practical Euthanasia Workshop”.
He said he would inform people of “newly-developed, reliable, DIY end of life strategies that do not require travel to Switzerland”.
But Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, said the police should investigate whether the workshop was breaking the law.
He said: “I would suggest the police may have a locus to investigate. They should satisfy themselves whether what is proposed comes within the terms of the law.”
Dr Nitschke, director of Exit International, claimed access to reliable methods to peacefully end your life was a human rights and free speech issue.
He said: “The elderly and seriously ill have a right to know. Of course, most hope they will never need to take matters into their own hands, but they gain great comfort from knowing what to do to die peacefully and reliably if that time ever comes.”
Dr Nitschke said Exit took a “DIY approach” due to the constraints of the law.
“While suicide is not a crime, assisting someone to die is a serious crime which can result in a decade in jail.”
The workshop is due to take place at St Mark’s ArtSpace at St Mark’s Unitarian Church in Castle Terrace on Saturday November 19.
Dr Nitschke said the event would include information on mail-order options for the best euthanasia drugs from China and Mexico and dangers associated with incorrect euthanasia drug use.
When Dr Nitschke visited England in 2008, police said anyone who “aids, abets, counsels or procures the suicide of another, or an attempt by another” to commit suicide could face prosecution under the 1961 Suicide Act. The Act does not apply in Scotland.
But Dr Gordon Macdonald of campaign group Care Not Killing said there could still be questions over the legality of what happened at the workshop.
He said: “Depending on what he says, it could be deemed to be assisting suicide, which is illegal in Scotland.”
The Rev Ian Galloway, convener of the Church of Scotland’s church and society council, said: “To reduce the conversation about life and death to a workshop on how to help someone to kill themselves demeans our common humanity.”
Independent Lothians MSP Margo MacDonald, who is preparing to reintroduce a Bill in the Scottish Parliament to allow assisted suicide, distanced herself from Dr Nitschke.
She said: “Dr Nitschke will do nothing to prevent suicide. I will expect society and the state to do everything possible to prevent a person committing suicide, unless in the narrow circumstances described in my Bill – that is, someone who is terminally ill, who knows there is no recovery and they are unlikely to achieve a peaceful and dignified death.”
The Rev Maud Robinson, minister of St Mark’s, said renting to Dr Nitschke was a commercial let. She said: “We let out premises to various organisations. We have nothing to do with the event.”
A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: “We will investigate any allegation of criminality reported to us.”
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Comments
There are 19 comments to this article
Page 1 of 2
GibsonNSW
Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 05:05 AMWe know Mr. Nitschke in Australia. This is how he gets his name uplifted in the media. Some people are destined to be small. Some people are destined to be great. Mr. Nitschke is a former...who wouldnt accept his lot under God and wanted to be great. Its all a proud act for self glorification.
Lachie Mhor
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 07:10 PMThe Church of Scotland is in terminal decline. If you are really intent on committing suicide there are numerous websites which will provide advice. You would have to be really depressed right enough, possibly reading the SNP manifesto would put you in the correct frame of mind for killing yourself.
Tartancult
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 05:46 PMIf the churches are against it - whatever 'it' is - it must be good and since the churches are apparently against euthanasia, I am now for it.........I am starting my own religion, just call me Jeemie Jones, we drink Tennents instead of Koolaid and run around the streets naked singing sectarian songs.
Hesiod Claxton
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 03:44 PM#2 Dragonlord "They have hired a church! How stupid does this comment look ,when religeon [sic] tries to profit from hiring out premises and then complains about what they are doing there." - It's a mistake to think of "religion" as a single, uniform entity. Unitarians (the owners of the hall where the workshop will take place) have different beliefs from Roman Catholics and Presbyterians (the people protesting about it).
jdships
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 03:43 PM11 GFran Rhank you for giving me permission to " express my opinion" !! " But when you talking nonsense don't all defensive." Sorry don't understand what you are meaning. Anyway I will just leave it at that given that a number of posters agree with my OPINION .
Mario Antoinette
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 03:26 PMYes, you can DIY, but the point is that once someone is terminally ill they may not be in a position to do "it" themselves. Personally I think we are all entitled to some dignity in death. The slow lingering doped up stuff that goes on in our hospitals and hospices wouldnt even be done to an animal.
Mario Antoinette
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 03:22 PM6 You are right of course. I just watched a close relative die in hospital, it was an inevitable and unchangeable outcome due to the nature of the disease , but they stopped nourishing him or giving him fluids about a week before he died. Anyone with the slighest idea about human physiology will know that you cant survive for much longer than a week without fluids regardless of other conditions. So, basically its like running over an animal in your car and sitting down beside it for a week watching it die. I dont blame the hospital or the workers, this is the law they must work under. The fact that we arent allowed to choose how and when we die when we are past recuperation is ridiculous. Grown up societies let the individual decide, not some rules written down in a book 1600 years or so ago. Even the Pope doesnt know for sure if there is a god. He's only human.
Huntley & Palmist, The Biscuit Mystic
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 03:21 PMIt's a miracle! Nick O Daemouse (# 4) holds exactly the same opinions, has the identical prose style and uses exactly the same phrases ("imaginary friend" etc) as those mainstays of the old website Jenny MacArthur, Bill MacD, Garry Otton, Mr Common Sense, JJ II and YYY1! And what's more, none of them can spell "loathsome"! Glory be!
GFrank
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 03:17 PM9 ROFL whatever, by all means express your opinion. But when you talking nonsense don't all defensive. Perhaps you should read the article first..
GFrank
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 03:12 PM6 or better still buy one of the good "doctor" machine's, which after all is why he is here, to flog a diy method of suicide
jdships
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 03:11 PMGFrank I am entitled surely to express my opinion in what is a democracy I certainly recognise your right to do the same but why the rudeness ? Sad !!! Learn to think for yourself it makes for a much more interesting life instead of following the conventions " So stop your whining and grow a set." What exactly has that to do with what was , until your post, a nicely balanced interesting discussion .
GFrank
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 02:52 PM6 Jdships are you another who cant read, or to lazy? For the cheap seats.. The law in Scotland, is While suicide is not a crime, assisting someone to die is a serious crime which can result in a decade in jail.” If you feel like calling it a day pal gfi, nothing the state or church can do about it. So stop your whining and grow a set.
GFrank
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 02:47 PMPoster 1 You obviously never went to a good school, learn to read boy. ----- First Sentence ffs ...CHURCH leaders have called on the police and btw "assisting suicide, is illegal in Scotland.”.. I blame your parents Eric P
jdships
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 02:46 PMGood post No4 Do we own our own bodies or does the State? If we do, then we have the right to choose our own time and manner of death. If the State does, then are we just pieces of national property? I see no reason for any church religeon to be involved in this , especially given there track record over the past 2000 years
Dragonlord
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 02:19 PMbest euthanasia drugs from China and Mexico and dangers associated with incorrect euthanasia drug use. Yes, someone could seriously kill themselves!
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