The Australian state of Tasmania has rejected a Bill to legalise euthanasia. <\/p>\n
The legislation was defeated by 16 votes to 8 in the lower house of the Tasmanian Parliament. <\/p>\n
It marks the third time in ten years that a euthanasia Bill has been defeated in the state. <\/p>\n
The legislation would have allowed an adult deemed to have a serious incurable and irreversible medical condition access to lethal drugs to end their own life, or allow a doctor to administer the drugs. <\/p>\n
Tasmania health minister Michael Ferguson said it attempted to remove protections safeguarding the sanctity of life. <\/p>\n
This is in fact a dangerous bill that will in fact create a different group of cruel tragedies. <\/p>\n
Weve said every suicide is too many yet before us is a bill that would sanction suicide, he added. <\/p>\n
Speaking against the Bill, Paul Russell from HOPE: No Euthanasia said: This is a resounding affirmation that Tasmanian society takes a dim view of doctors helping people to suicide. Other Australian states should take note. <\/p>\n
Daniel Pask, a disability activist with Lives Worth Living, also opposed the Bill, which he says posed a real threat. <\/p>\n
Pask, who has spina bifida, added that it sent a terrible message to people with disabilities, whose basic needs and human rights often still go unmet, that our lives are not worth living. <\/p>\n
Liz Carr, a disabled actress and activist for Not Dead Yet UK, recorded a message for Tasmania before the vote took place, and warned that the Bill would have exposed many to great risk. <\/p>\n
Euthanasia and assisted suicide remain illegal in the UK. <\/p>\n
Under the law in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a person who intentionally encourages or assists the suicide or attempted suicide of another person, commits an offence which carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years. <\/p>\n
A Bill to legalise assisted suicide was resoundingly defeated in the House of Commons in 2015 by 330 votes to 118. <\/p>\n
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Euthanasia Bill struck down in Tasmania - The Christian Institute<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Australian state of Tasmania has rejected a Bill to legalise euthanasia. The legislation was defeated by 16 votes to 8 in the lower house of the Tasmanian Parliament Continue reading