Daily Archives: July 17, 2017

Momentum is building to legalise voluntary euthanasia in Australia. A state, most likely Victoria, could soon be the first jurisdiction to do so since the Northern Territory in 1995. National intervention scuttled the Northern Territory law, which begs an important question. Would a state euthanasia law also be short lived?

Several nations permit people to end their lives with medical assistance if they are terminally ill and suffering pain or incapacity. The first country to allow this was the Netherlands, with Canada authorising physician-assisted dying last year. New Zealand is expected to vote on the issue after its September 2017 election.

By contrast, state laws in Australia criminalise the practice. For example, the NSW Crimes Act makes a person liable to 10 years' imprisonment for helpingsomeone end their life. No exceptions are made for medical practitioners, although it has become accepted that palliative care that hastens a person's death is permissible where it eases pain and suffering. People may also end their lives by refusing medical intervention or sustenance.

Decades of activism have sought to change these laws. Every state, except Queensland, has seen attempts to introduce medically-assisted dying since 1995. More than 40 bills have been introduced, with 15 put in South Australia alone. That state has come the closest to passing such a law. Last November, its most recent attempt was backed by the state Premier and Opposition Leader, and resulted in a 23-all tie in the lower house of Parliament. The bill was defeated on the casting vote of the Speaker.

The next battlegrounds are NSW and Victoria, with both likely to see bills introduced in August. The NSW bill has cross-party support, but the Victorian proposal is more likely to pass. It is sponsored by Premier Dan Andrews and Health Minister Jill Hennessy, has supporters within government and the opposition, and has been backed by former premiers Steve Bracks and Jeff Kennett.

The passage of a state voluntary euthanasia law will lead church groups and other opponents to call for national intervention. This occurred in response to the 1995 legalisation of voluntary euthanasia in the Northern Territory. A private members bill introduced by Kevin Andrews overrode that measure, and withdrew power from the Northern Territory and ACT to ever pass such a law in the future. Kevin Andrews remains in Parliament, and might lead a second national debate to prevent voluntary euthanasia.

The constitution enables the federal Parliament to override any territory law. Parliament's power is not so clear in the case of a state, with federal interventions often ending up in the High Court.

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Nonetheless, it would seem likely that federal Parliament could overturn a state euthanasia law as the constitution grants it authority over the provision of medical services. Parliament could also use its power over external affairs to legislate for the right to life under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The key question is whether Parliament would exercise this power. This would seem very unlikely. One reason is that the Commonwealth has always been more prepared to intervene in territory rather than state affairs. It has done so not only by overturning a euthanasia law, but by vetoing a 2006 attempt by the ACT to recognise and celebrate same-sex civil unions. The federal government also brought a successful High Court challenge to the ACT's recognition of same-sex marriage in 2013.

The Commonwealth has on occasion intervened to overturn a state policy or law. A famous example was the decision of the Hawke government in 1983 to make the Franklin River in Tasmania a World Heritage area to prevent the damming of that system. Such interventions though can come with a high political cost. Labor failed to win a single seat in Tasmania in the 1984 general election.

In this case, the cost of intervention could be felt across Australia. Community attitudes have moved on from when the Commonwealth last overturned a euthanasia law in the 1990s. Polls show that around three-quarters of Australians support the legalisation of physician-assisted dying, with many people feeling strongly about the issue.

The views of our politicians have also shifted. Kevin Andrews' bill secured support from an overwhelming number of parliamentarians, including the prime minister and leader of the opposition. He would not gather such support today given changing opinions on social issues. For example, two decades ago it was hard to find a parliamentarian willing to support same-sex marriage, yet today this could become law if Coalition MPs are given a free vote.

The bottom line is that the federal Parliament could seek to overturn a state law that authorises physician-assisted dying, but is unlikely to do so. This means that the push for a state to legalise euthanasia should result in a law that endures.

George Williams is Dean of Law at the University of New South Wales.

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Battle over voluntary euthanasia about to reignite - The Sydney Morning Herald

General News of Saturday, 15 July 2017

Source: Starrfmonline.com

The dog in question attacked and bit Bismark Adzie, a six-year old class six pupil to death

The Western Regional Branch of the Veterinary Service of Ghana has killed an Alsatian dog after establishing it poses serious threat to human life.

The dog in question attacked and bit Bismark Adzie, a six-year old class six pupil to death on June 20, 2017 at New Amanful in the Ahanta West District of the Western region.

The dog was quarantined by the Veterinary Service for two weeks for monitoring to establish whether it was suffering from rabbis.

It was, however, released to its owner after the expiration of the period upon establishing it was free from the said disease, however upon further investigation, it was found that the dog poses a very serious threat to human life.

The Service therefore ordered the owner through the police to return it to the Veterinary Service to be put to rest.

The process, known as Euthanasia which took place at the Headquarters of the Regional Veterinary Service on Friday lasted for about five seconds through an injection of a chemical by name T61 administered by the veterinary service personnel.

After the exercise, Dr Simon Gbene, the acting Director of the Service in the Western region told Skyy Power FM the process was the first time Ghana has destroyed an animal through Euthanasia though it is very common in the Western Countries.

He gave a word of caution to dog owners, School Authorities and the general public to be very wary of dogs wherever and whenever they come close to them since some could be very unpredictable.

He says the Veterinary Service will soon come out with new guidelines on dog possession and ownership in the country.

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Ghana performs first animal euthanasia - GhanaWeb

ACT leader David Seymour says a 1 NEWS Colmar Brunton poll showing three quarters of respondents support voluntary euthanasia should be a wake-up call for MPs undecided about his assisted dying bill.

Asked do they think a terminally ill person should be able to receive assistance from a doctor to end their life, 74 per cent said "yes" and 18 per cent said "no".

MPs will vote soon after the September election on Mr Seymour's End of Life Choice bill.

Most parties will have a conscience vote and a number of MPs are yet to make up their minds.

"Too many MPs have ignored public opinion and in a democracy you do that at your peril," Mr Seymour said.

However anti-euthanasia campaigner Renee Joubert of Euthanasia-Free NZ says poll respondents "were not asked to consider the practical implications in the real world of dysfunctional relationships, domestic and elder abuse, mental health issues".

His faith has helped former parish minister Dave Mullan come to terms with the fact he's dying, but he wants to be able to choose when that happens.

"When my time comes and the cancer really hits me, I want to say enough. Let's gather the family, have a celebration, say our goodbyes and then goodnight," Mr Mullan said.

After being diagnosed with prostate cancer he became an active blogger, and now a pro-euthanasia campaigner.

Mr Mullan's message to MPs is: "The country is crying out for choice."

Read more:

Poll support for euthanasia a wake-up call for undecided MPs says Seymour - TVNZ

KAROLINE TUCKEY

Last updated05:00, July 16 2017

Warwick Smith/Stuff

Jeanette Parsons veterinarian with Totally Vets, Feilding talks about cat health and euthanasia.

Deciding when to send Fluffy to the hereafter is not a pleasant prospect, but many Kiwis drag their heels too long when it comes to euthanasing their elderly cats.

Massey University's Kat Littlewood is studying how her fellow vets can offer better guidance, sayingmany owners put off the decision and regret it later.

"It's such an emotional time, they can see their animal going downhill and they just don't want to make that decision.With animals we can make that decision."

KAROLINE TUCKEY/STUFF

Massey University veterinary researcher Kat Littlewood with her own cat Malibu. She hopes to provide better guidance to vets helping cat owners decide when to euthanise their pet.

The questions are similar to those forMPs debating Act leader David Seymour'sEnd of Life Choice Bill.

READ MORE: *He's NZ's top cat * Euthanasia: How is it done *A friendly cat leads two separate lives

Is medical technology prolonging life beyond natural life expectancy? And at what point does a life become so painful and miserable doctors should be allowed to end it?

WARWICK SMITH/STUFF

Veterinarian Jeanette Parsons, of Totally Vets in Feilding, with Sam the cat.

Lisa Poulson, of Feilding, took her cat Sam for a senior cat vet exam on Friday. Sam passed muster, but she saidthere is some trepidation as he gets older.

"He was sick a few years ago, and the vet said if we have to come in again for that treatment then we'd really have to think about euthanasia.

"They are not human, but they are such a huge part of your life."

WARWICK SMITH/STUFF

Cat owner Lisa Poulson with Sam, the family cat.

Palmerston North vet Malcolm Andersonsaidmakinglife and death decisionsfor a pet wasnot something any owner wasprepared for.

"I had to say goodbye to my cat recently, and it was still pretty hard."

His catMillielived to 17 years, and still hadquality of life, but on balance he felt the decision had to be made.

"You're ending your pet's life, but you're still helping them. People think they are terminating a life, so you have to help them with that too."

"Euthanasiadoesn't have to be scary. They just gently go to sleep".

Chief SPCA scientific officer DrArnjaDalesaid if an elderly cat was suffering unnecessarily and veterinary advice was not followed, including for euthanasia, it could be an offence under the Animal Welfare Act.

Feilding senior vet Martin Aldridgesaid most owners wanted the best for their pets, but the number bringing elderly cats in for regular check-ups was"relatively low".

"Sometimes there's a lack of knowledge. Some people are quite proud their pet's never been to the vet, or they feel we're going to push them towards euthanasia when there's a lot more we can do.

"A lot of people feel guilty about ending the life of an animal, and that's part of what we do we offer advice and talk people through it."

Littlewood agrees owners want to feel they've tried their best, and can vieweuthanasia as betrayingtheir pet.

But pain is particularly hard to spot in cats, and owners often miss signs a cat's quality of life is going downhill.

"Asa vet I found it was really hard to advise owners about the right time, and other vets I spoke to find it difficult."

For her study,Littlewoodhopes tointerview ownerswhohad an elderly cateuthanisedin the past six months to ask about the vets role in their decision making.

Where there is no strong conclusionthe animal is suffering, it is no longer consideredgood practiceto authoritatively tell owners when to put a pet down, she said.

Kiwi vets now try to offer information and advice so owners canmake an informed decision.

International score systems are used tomeasure a cat's quality of life. These take into account physical indications such as whether a pet is eating and drinking well, pain and mobility, but don't consider wider factors, she said.

"I think a vet'srole is to look at the animal itself, but if we know the reason why an owner might be reluctantwe can help them realise or look more at the animal.

-Sunday Star Times

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Euthanasia debate: Vets helping pet owners decide when their cat's nine lives are up - Manawatu Standard